Voters in Oregon have given approval to the United for Cannabis Workers Act, put forth by United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555.
Once Measure 119 takes effect, it will guarantee cannabis industry workers the right to organize and bargain collectively. Although joining a union would be optional, this proposal would provide legal protections for those choosing to do so.
“Workers across every industry should have the freedom to unionize if they so choose”, says Dan Clay, President, UFCW Local 555. “This ballot measure closes an age-old loophole that deprives that right to thousands of Oregon cannabis workers. Shady cannabis tycoons have taken advantage of an outdated law to strip workers’ rights that are guaranteed to nearly every other American.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 measure was supported by the Oregon AFL-CIO and Oregon Working Families Party, as well as a number of state and local officials, including Democratic nominee for Attorney General Dan Rayfield, House Majority Leader Ben Bowman, and lawmakers including Senator Chris Gorsek and Representatives Jules Walters and Khanh Pham.
For the full text of Measure 119, click here.
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