Massachusetts cannabis workers unionize, part of a national movement
“Workers have the opportunity to shape the industry and make sure the jobs are good, family-sustaining jobs with a living wage, affordable and quality health care and a secure retirement”
Thursday, July 1, 2021
Many cannabis cultivation workers share common challenges. They frequently lack a living wage, benefits (like health care and retirement plans) or pathways for professional development. Workers and advocates are concerned that the growth of many companies amid the nationwide cannabis boom is coming at the expense of underpaid employees, while corporation heads rake in profits. United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) is the most active union working with cannabis workers, organizing with them since 2013. It now has more than 10,000 members in working laboratories, processing and manufacturing plants, cultivation facilities and medical and adult-use dispensaries.