A recent survey by FTI Consulting found that the average wage for cannabis workers in New York is $25.87 per hour, about 25% more than the state’s average retail worker’s hourly wage of $20.47, the Times Union reports.
A coalition of cannabis operators and stakeholders sponsored the survey. The group, called the Safe and Affordable Cannabis for New York Association, has urged Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) not to sign recent legislation to create an industry wage board that would recommend a minimum wage for New York cannabis workers.
The group argues that a cannabis industry minimum wage would add yet another hurdle for cannabis operators to face, and that the added costs could jeopardize New York cannabis businesses.
“This survey confirms what our members already know: New York’s cannabis workforce is paid more than any other retail sector in the state, even as the businesses that employ them are struggling to survive,” Osbert Orduna, the association’s chair and founder of The Cannabis Place, said in the report.
“The special interest groups who would profit from a wage board are the ones pushing for this. They don’t care that this bill will put hardworking New Yorkers out of work and onto the street — it threatens the very jobs it allegedly claims to protect.” — Orduna, via the Times Union
Jeremy Rivera, association member and president of the Cannabis Retail Alliance of New York, said that “A wage board adds cost without adding customers, and that’s a burden many of our members simply can’t carry right now.”
Meanwhile, Hochul signed a bill last month expanding cannabis sales to some farmers’ markets.
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