The Washington State Senate Ways and Means Committee voted today to advance legislation that would give marijuana farm workers the right to unionize, sending the measure to the full Senate for consideration.
House Bill 1141, which passed the House last month by a 55 to 40 vote, narrowly advanced out of the Senate Committee on Labor and Commerce on April 1 in a 5 to 4 vote. Today, it was given approval by the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
The proposal would place agricultural marijuana workers—those involved in activities such as cultivating, trimming, curing, and sorting cannabis on licensed farms—under the jurisdiction of the Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC), giving them formal collective bargaining rights.
The bill establishes procedures for certifying bargaining units, resolving disputes, and addressing unfair labor practices. It excludes managers and supervisors with hiring or disciplinary authority, and only applies to workers employed on farms licensed to produce marijuana. Workers at standalone processing facilities are not covered unless the facility is co-located with a farm.
If enacted, HB 1141 would extend unionization rights to cannabis agricultural workers, a group not protected under federal labor law. Supporters say the measure would align Washington’s cannabis sector more closely with labor standards found in other industries.
