An initiative seeking to enable easier unionization in the cannabis industry in Oregon got the green light from the secretary of state's office to appear on the November ballot.
State officials confirmed that the campaign from the regional chapter of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) collected enough verified signatures – over 160 000 – from voters.
UFCW Local 555 delivered more than 163,000 signatures for verification before the July 5 deadline, which is about 46,000 more than required.
Measure 119,United for Cannabis Workers Act, seeks to "ensure that cannabis workers' freedoms to organize and bargain collectively are protected under state law," according to last week's press release. "No one would be required to join a union, but workers would have the freedom to do so if they choose."
The latest push from UFCW follows its failed attempt to reform the cannabis landscape. In 2023, the union pushed for the passage of House Bill 2183, a similar measure, but the bill was tabled due to concerns it would conflict with federal law.
Read Also: Cannabis (De)Unionization: Here's What's New On The Frontlines Of Labor Organizing Among Weed Workers
"Workers across every industry should have the freedom to unionize if they so choose," Dan Clay, president of UFCW Local 555, said in a press release. "This ballot measure closes an age-old loophole that deprives that right to thousands of Oregon cannabis workers."
Clay cautioned that "shady cannabis tycoons have taken advantage of an outdated law to strip workers' rights that are guaranteed to nearly every other American. By passing Measure 119, voters will enshrine the freedom to unionize in the Oregon Cannabis industry."
The policy reform effort is supported by the Oregon AFL-CIO and Oregon Working Families Party, as well as a number of state and local officials.
Meanwhile, marijuana workers at a production facility in Joliet, Illinois, operated by cannabis company Cresco Labs Inc. (CSE:CL) (OTCQX:CRLBF) (FSE: 6CQ) recently voted to leave their union – United Food & Commercial Workers.
Jonathan Keselenko, a partner in Foley Hoag's cannabis practice in Boston, told the outlet that this move seems to indicate that the excitement for unionization among cannabis workers is fading, as recently highlighted by Benzinga's Nina Zdinjak. In April, employees at Cresco's Massachusetts cultivation facility voted to de-unionize, instead of negotiating another labor deal as its contract neared expiration.
Read Next
Cannabis Co. Cresco Lab's Q2 Gross Profit Increases Over 9% YoY, Reports Nearly 7% Drop In Revenue
オーストラリアでは、moomooの投資商品及びサービスはMoomoo Securities Australia Limitedによって提供され、オーストラリア証券投資委員会（ASIC）の管理を受けております（AFSL No. 224663）。「金融サービスガイド」、「利用規約」、「プライバシーポリシー」などの詳細は、Moomoo Securities Australia Limitedのウェブサイトhttps://www.moomoo.com/auでご確認いただけます。
オーストラリアでは、moomooの投資商品及びサービスはMoomoo Securities Australia Limitedによって提供され、オーストラリア証券投資委員会（ASIC）の管理を受けております（AFSL No. 224663）。「金融サービスガイド」、「利用規約」、「プライバシーポリシー」などの詳細は、Moomoo Securities Australia Limitedのウェブサイトhttps://www.moomoo.com/auでご確認いただけます。
規定119号であるUnited for Cannabis Workers Actは、「大麻関連労働者の自由を保護し、労働者が州法の下で組織化および集団交渉することができるようにすること」を目的としています。 」先週のプレスリリースによると、「誰も組合に参加することを強制されることはなく、しかし労働者たちは選択すれば自由に参加することができます。」