Articles from United Food and Commercial Workers

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 360 announced today that more New Jersey cannabis workers have voted to unionize as part of its long-running Cannabis Workers Rising campaign. Employees at Fresh Eatontown LLC, a licensed adult-use cannabis dispensary, are the latest to join the labor movement as it continues to expand across the state’s legal marijuana industry. The latest vote in favor of union membership with Local 360 came at the Fresh Eatontown LLC dispensary in Eatontown, NJ. Fresh Eatontown is one of two dispensaries in New Jersey operated by multi-state cannabis company Fresh Cannabis, which also has locations in Colorado and Delaware. Fresh Cannabis’ other New Jersey dispensary, Fresh Elizabeth LLC, voted to join UFCW Local 360 towards the end of 2024.

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 360 is pleased to announce that its ‘Cannabis Workers Rising’ campaign has prevailed at another dispensary in New Jersey. Workers at the Plantabis drive-thru dispensary in Rahway, NJ – https://plantabis.com/rahway-cannabis-dispensary/ – have voted to enter the new year as members of UFCW Local 360. Plantabis currently operates six dispensaries across New Jersey and bills itself as the number one dispensary in “the Tri-State area.”

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 360 announced today that, even as 2024 winds down, its work organizing New Jersey’s cannabis industry continues to attract new members. The latest vote in favor of union membership with UFCW Local 360 came at the Fresh Elizabeth LLC dispensary in Elizabeth. The location is currently the only New Jersey outlet for multi-state cannabis operator, Fresh, which also does business in Colorado and Delaware.

When moodmats employee Matthew Geroni decided to meet with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 360 (Local 360), he imagined that unionizing would be a daunting, time-consuming process. Now, reflecting on moodmats’ recent successful vote in favor of unionizing, he’s happy to admit he was wrong. Matthew credits the transparency and openness that Local 360 brought to the conversation for making the journey short and relatively smooth. He also notes that the information and resources offered by Local 360 rep Mike Burry were instrumental in enabling his colleagues to do their own research and come to their own decisions in favor of union membership.

It took just three days and the support of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 360, for every worker at New Brunswick dispensary, Puffin Store NJ – https://puffinstorenj.com – to vote in favor of unionizing. Workers at Puffin reached out to Local 360 based on its expertise and prominence in the cannabis industry, and its successful effort to include a Labor Peace Agreement (LPA) mandate as a requirement for any business applying for a cannabis industry license. LPAs kick in whenever a majority of workers express interest in a bona fide labor organization, and stop employers from disrupting efforts by the labor organization to communicate with, attempt to organize and represent their workers.

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 360 is pleased to announce that, even as 2023 comes to a close, its work to organize New Jersey’s cannabis industry is continuing to pay dividends for workers, families and communities. Freehold, New Jersey based dispensary NJ Leaf – http://www.njleaf.com – is the newest company to make the choice to organize with UFCW Local 360, a choice that its owner Ritesh Shah fully endorses.

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 360, in partnership with The Cannabis Place, announces the launch of the country’s first cannabis retail pre-apprenticeship training course. Held at The Cannabis Place’s community impact room in Jersey City, 22 local students are learning the basics of working in a cannabis retail environment from UFCW Local 360’s own experts. Every participant, after completing the two week course, has a job with The Cannabis Place where they can accrue the time and experience needed to complete the apprenticeship program.

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 360 announces that, in its continuing push to unionize workers in New Jersey’s cannabis industry, the workers at Curaleaf’s Winslow, NJ cultivation site and the employees at MPX NJ’s dispensary in Sicklerville have voted to unionize. The Curaleaf cultivation site joins the company’s dispensaries in Bordentown, Edgewater and Bellmawr in choosing to organize with UFCW Local 360. MPX NJ’s dispensary is the first of two to hold a vote. The company is also planning a third location, in Pennsauken Township.

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union, Local 360, announces that Columbia Care, Inc.’s Cannabist retail location in Deptford, NJ., has voted to ratify its first labor contract. The contract covers Dispensary Associates and Senior Dispensary Associates, and is noteworthy both because the vote was unanimous, and because its guaranteed wage increases are retroactive to March. The contract comes more than a year after Cannabist employees petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to support their push to unionize with UFCW.

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 360 is pleased to announce the decision by workers at Valley Wellness in Raritan, NJ., to unionize as members of UFCW. As Valley Wellness notes on its website, valleywellnessnj.com, “providing great products starts with a great foundation … That means employing a knowledgeable staff [and] providing a welcoming environment.” According to Valley Wellness, its “staff knows cannabis inside and out,” and are noted as a key driver of customer satisfaction and, ultimately, the company’s current and future success.

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 360 is proud to publicly endorse New Jersey Assembly Bill A4911, authorizing production and use of psilocybin to promote health and wellness. Importantly, A4911 both decriminalizes psilocybin production, possession, use, and distribution, and expunges past offenses. Introduced by Assemblymembers Raj Mukherji (D-Hudson), Herb Conaway (D-Burlington), and James Kennedy (D-Union), the bill reflects research indicating psilocybin is non-addictive and can be effective in treating depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, and other behavioral health conditions.

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 360 is pleased to announce the decision by workers at Harmony Foundation, and its Harmony Dispensary in Secaucus, NJ., to unionize as members of UFCW. Harmony employees can now add their names to the quickly growing ranks of UFCW Local 360 from across New Jersey’s young marijuana economy. Recently, Harmony announced its intention to expand into the adult use marijuana market, and to open locations in Hoboken, Jersey City – as well as a new cultivation site in Lafayette.

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union, Local 360, announces that employees at Curaleaf’s Edgewater, NJ., dispensary have voted to organize as members of UFCW. The Curaleaf location in Edgewater originally served only medical marijuana patients, but now also serves the adult use market. Nationally, Curaleaf operates 134 local dispensaries and 26 cultivation sites across 22 states.

Nurses, medical assistants, receptionists and clerical workers at Cape Regional Physicians Associates have voted “union yes,” agreeing to representation by Local 152 of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).

The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union Local 360 is proud to be the first labor organization to publicly endorse bill S2934, the Psilocybin Behavioral Health Access and Services Act. Sponsored and submitted by Senate President Nicholas P. Scutari, the act represents a workable framework for New Jersey to quickly authorize “production and use of psilocybin.” In particular, Local 360 supports the bill’s intent to establish a network of “safe, legal, and affordable psilocybin service centers” for eligible residents, and sees a key role for organized labor in creating, expanding and sustaining such a network.

Today, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 360 announces the submission of a groundbreaking petition to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) by the employees of Wonderland Smoke Shop, New Jersey’s largest cannabis accessories business. Wonderland Smoke Shop now becomes the first cannabis accessories business to formally ask the NLRB to conduct an election to unionize. Such businesses are not covered by current New Jersey legislation requiring cannabis license holders and bona fide labor groups to mutually attest that a labor peace agreement is in place.

The United Food and Commercial Workers union, Local 360, announces that, within the last week, employees at Columbia Care, Inc.’s Cannabist retail location and at The Botanist have voted to organize through the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union. Employees at Columbia Care’s Cannabist dispensary in Deptford submitted a petition to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that ultimately led to the recent successful vote to organize. In contrast, The Botanist, which had signed on to a state-required Labor Peace Agreement, allowed employees to organize directly with the UFCW and maintained a neutral position throughout the organizing and voting process.