An Oregon union has spent more than $2 million trying to get an initiative on the November ballot that would make it easier for marijuana retail and processor employees to organize.
The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555 – one of the biggest unions in Oregon with tens of thousands of members – went the ballot route this year after failing to get a similar measure passed through the Oregon Legislature in 2023, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Michael Selvaggio, political director for the Local 555, estimated the union spent $2.4 million on the signature-collection campaign.
The UFCW is optimistic the initiative will make the ballot after submitting more than 163,000 signatures to the Oregon secretary of state’s office by the July 5 deadline. The minimum signatures required was 117,173.
“We’re extraordinarily confident this will qualify,” Selvaggio told the Portland-based broadcasting company.
“We’re passing this measure.”
However, the signatures still must be verified, and state officials face an Aug. 5 deadline, Portland TV station KOIN reported.
The UFCW’s proposal would mandate that marijuana retailers or processors sign a labor peace agreement with a union to get a license to operate in Oregon.
Such agreements require that business owners agree to remain neutral if employees want to unionize.
The union’s ballot initiative is more labor-friendly than the legislation the union was pushing last year, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.
The union told Oregon Public Broadcasting it was unaware of any organized opposition to the ballot initiative.
