Sales representatives at The Botanist New Jersey last week voted to unionize with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 360. In a statement, Abbey Perl, a sales representative with The Botanist, said joining the union “means ensuring that more of the workers who build these brands secure stable wages, fair benefits, and workplaces that respect our contribution to the bottom line.”
The Botanist organizing effort is part of the UFCW Local 360’s Cannabis Workers Rising initiative.
In a statement, Hugh Giordano, director of organizing for UFCW Local 360, said sales representatives are ambassadors for New Jersey’s cannabis industry.
“They devote their time and energy to helping businesses succeed, supporting dispensary teams, and ensuring the hard work of cultivation and manufacturing employees reaches customers across the state. By choosing to unionize, they’re investing in themselves, their families and communities, and New Jersey’s cannabis industry. These workers recognize that strong partnerships between employees and employers create stronger businesses.” — Giordano in a press release
Sam Ferraino, Jr., president of UFCW Local 360, added that “As New Jersey’s cannabis industry continues to mature,” the union is “seeing organizing spread into every corner of the business.”
“From cultivation and manufacturing to retail and now statewide sales professionals, workers understand that a successful cannabis industry depends on a skilled, respected and empowered workforce,” Ferraino Jr. said in a statement. “That’s why Cannabis Workers Rising was created, and every organizing victory enhances the long-term stability, professionalism and credibility of New Jersey’s regulated cannabis marketplace.”
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