(This is an abridged version of a story that appears in the April issue of Marijuana Business Magazine.)
Cannabis business owners increasingly must confront a workplace reality that mainstream companies have faced for generations: organized labor.
Front and center is the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which is aggressively seeking cannabis workers to join its ranks.
The UFCW said it aims to organize cannabis workers in every state where marijuana is legal and that it already represents “tens of thousands” of MJ workers in multiple states.
The Teamsters and United Farm Workers also are trying to organize marijuana industry workers.
In California, it will be difficult for many marijuana businesses to avoid dealing with unions.
The Golden State requires that marijuana business licensees with at least 20 employees strike a “labor peace agreement” with a union. Such a pact can ultimately pave the way for unionization.
New York has a similar labor peace agreement requirement for marijuana businesses.
Unions also are making inroads in other states where cannabis is legal, so it’s never too early for business owners to start thinking about how they might approach labor peace agreements.
Click here to learn more about:
- The ABCs of labor peace agreements.
- Hiring a lawyer.
- Creating a simple peace agreement.
- What a peace pact should include.
- What to avoid in a peace agreement.
