Marijuana industry labor relations are reaching a crossroads ⋆ Patriots Hemp

There’s much that sets the still-emerging U.S. marijuana industry apart from traditional sectors of American business.

Cannabis companies must contend with heavier taxes, stricter regulation and an ongoing conflict with federal law.

However, there’s one area where marijuana firms behave much the same way as Amazon, Starbucks or Target – an uneasy and often adversarial relationship with labor, according to documents and industry observers.

In October 2021, with the COVID-19 pandemic encouraging “essential workers” at marijuana stores nationwide to reassess conditions and pay, employees at multistate operator Curaleaf Holdings’ store in Worth, Illinois, voted to join the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).

That was among a flurry of unionizations in 2021-22 that were touted as major victories for labor organizations, which saw

Read full article on Marijuana Business Daily