Curaleaf medical marijuana workers in Massachusetts unionize

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Employees of a Curaleaf medical marijuana dispensary in Hanover, Massachusetts, voted in favor of joining the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local Union 328.

“The workers wanted to address issues related to the pandemic as well as other issues such as low pay and unfair discipline,” the UFCW noted in a news release.

The UFCW’s push to unionize the dispensary began in March 2020, according to the release.

A union vote in 2020 resulted in some ballots being challenged, leading to a hearing with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), according to the UFCW.

After Curaleaf unsuccessfully appealed the NLRB’s decision, the UFCW said, four remaining ballots were finally counted this month, resulting in a final tally of 8-3 in favor of unionization.

UFCW Local 328 said it’s now working toward negotiating a contract with Curaleaf.

The vote is part of a recent trend toward cannabis retail unionization in multiple states, including Massachusetts.

In the past year, the UFCW has also been involved in unionizing employees at an MMJ grower in Rhode Island as well as a cannabis cultivation and processing facility in Massachusetts.