A regional chapter of a national labor union has submitted what they expect will be more than enough signatures to put an initiative on Oregon’s November ballot to mandate labor peace agreements within the marijuana industry.
United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555 announced on Monday that it submitted more than 160,000 signatures to the secretary of state’s office to qualify their measure, which would effectively block union-busting activities by cannabis sector employers.
This comes after the legislature declined to enact a bill containing similar provisions as part of the 2023 session. UFCW lobbied for that legislation, and it decided to mount a campaign to let voters decide on the issue this year after that effort failed.
“Simply put, the ballot measure will require any cannabis dispensary or processor to enter into a labor peace agreement affirming the right of their workers to form a union if they so choose,” UFCW Local 555 spokesperson Miles Eshaia said. “When Oregon first legalized cannabis, it did not build in worker protections that other states, such as California, New York, and New Jersey did.”
“Because of vague federal laws, some employers have refused to acknowledge workers’ rights,” Eshaia said. “This measure makes
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