On Oct. 12, cannabis budtenders employed at Solar Therapeutics in Somerset, Mass., joined UFCW Local 328 for a better life. These workers joined our union family to gain full-time opportunities, improve benefits, and secure important workplace protections. UFCW Local 328 also represents cannabis workers at Cresco Labs and the Sunnyside Dispensary in Fall River and Curaleaf in Hanover.
These new members of our union family stood firm against their company’s effort to block them from unionizing, including declining to voluntarily recognize their union and bringing in an out-of-state consultant to hold mandatory meetings with the workers. They are looking forward to negotiating their first union contract.
“I am so proud of my coworkers for sticking together,” said Erin Bosse. “We love our jobs and know that by forming our union, we will be able to build a better future for all of us here at Solar. Cannabis jobs can and should be careers and we know that when we stand together, we can make positive changes not only at our workplace but across the industry.”
“We are absolutely amazed to see all of the wonderful support from our fellow budtenders and are happy to say we have won our union election!” said Jared Botelho. “This industry has the potential to provide meaningful and middle class jobs to thousands of cannabis workers across the country. This goes beyond us and our own dispensary. We hope other dispensaries continue the precedent to establish equity and contracts for their workers. We hold our company in the highest regards and look forward to our negotiations. Destigmatize, legitimize, and unionize!”
“We are proud of the amazing team at Solar for sticking together throughout this election process,” said UFCW Local 328 Director of Organizing Sam Marvin. “We look forward to taking the next steps towards negotiating a first contract that rewards the hard work and dedication they bring to the job each day.”