Cannabis Workers Are Unionizing for Better Pay, Dignity and Respect
In recent years, as more and more states legalize medical and adult-use marijuana, cannabis workers across the country have been unionizing to improve wages and working conditions in the industry. Through solidarity and struggle thousands of these cannabis workers are raising the bar for all workers by securing better wages, protections from unfair discipline and great benefits.
UFCW 1445 — most known for representing grocery store employees in New England — has been particularly active in organizing the cannabis industry in Massachusetts. The union currently represents workers at three marijuana growing facilities and five dispensaries. It is currently in contract negotiations with the dispensary NETA and just this week cannabis workers in Salem and Gardner, MA filed for union elections with UFCW.
UFCW 1445 shop steward Madeleine Woodhams, who works as a packaging lead at Sira Naturals in Milford, MA, helped formed the first cannabis workers’ union in Massachusetts in 2019. She says that there is so much staff turnover because the pay is low and workers don’t see a future in the industry. That’s when when Sira workers organized, they provided a list of their priorities to the bargaining committee to address these issues. Woodhams was pleased that the contract included pay increases, a retirement plan, union protections and language to prevent favoritism.
“This is my first experience working as a union member and I can comfortably say that I wouldn’t apply for another company unless it was union,” said Woodhams. “I have been laid off and had contracts cancelled early in the past, so just having a sense of job security has been such a weight off my shoulders. Having a stronger voice in the workplace and having protections from retaliation are also really important, particularly at a time when so many workplaces have become incredibly toxic during the pandemic.”
UFCW 1445 organizer Fabricio DaSilva says when cannabis workers come to him for assistance in forming a union, their number one complaint is the lack of respect they receive for the work they do.
“The majority of the workers are under 30 and they feel like they’re disrespected,” said DaSilva. “Many of these employers have this sentiment that their workers should be happy and grateful to have a job working in the cannabis industry because it used to be illegal.”
The other major complaint is low pay as many non-union cannabis workers barely make the Massachusetts minimum wage of $14.25
“They know that these businesses are making money. They can’t hide that,” said DaSilva. “The industry is growing rapidly and aggressively, yet they’re still minimum wage workers. Someone at Starbucks who starts at $15.20 is making more money than working in cannabis, while these companies are making millions of dollars in profit.”
According to a recent study by the Economic Policy Institute, unionized cannabis workers across job sectors earn substantially more than their non-union counterparts in similar jobs:
- Retail: $2,810 more in annual wages
- Processing: $8,690 more in annual wages
- Cultivation: $7,030 more in annual wages.
Recently, UFCW 1145 members at Liberty Cannabis in Somerville, MA ratified a new three-year contract that includes solid pay increases, a retirement plan, more affordable health care, grievance/arbitration procedures, union representation on the shop floor, a safety committee, non-discrimination clauses, paid vacations and sick time, seniority, severance pay and a successor clause that ensures the union and its contract will still be recognized if another entity buys the company. UFCW 1145 members are even working with Sira Naturals to create a cannabis apprenticeship program like other trades have.
“Right now it’s really expensive for companies to hire workers because they have to get each of them licensed with the state,” explained DaSilva. “If a company spends that kind of money to get someone in the door and they only stay for three weeks, that’s a problem. By creating a school where the employers will be able to draw workers from, it’s not only beneficial for the employer but it’s good for workers.”
If you are cannabis worker or know someone interested in forming a union in Maine, please fill out this form and we’ll have an organizer get in touch with you!