Workers at the Terrasana medical cannabis dispensary in Columbus, Ohio, recently joined UFCW Local 1059. The 32 workers are employed as dispensary agents who assist customers and patients in procuring the right product and dosage for their needs.
These workers joined our union family because they were concerned about security and safety at the dispensary and wanted a voice in the workplace. The campaign to organize the workers included regular in-person meetings and the use of reflective engagement techniques to build solidarity.
“As the front lines of an emerging and ever-changing industry, we wanted our voices to be heard,” said the workers at the Terrasana dispensary in a joint statement. “More often than not, companies reduce the people who make them what they are to nothing but numbers or pawns for their overall gain. By unionizing, we are ensuring that our voices are heard and we make it known we are more than numbers. We are people, human beings. As humans, we deserve to work in a place where we feel respected, listened to, and paid properly for our labor. By unionizing, not only do we change things for the better for us, but for those who come after us and, hopefully, for the industry as a whole.”
In addition to the workers at the Terrasana dispensary, UFCW Local 1059 also represents workers at the Herbology dispensary in Newark, who became the first cannabis workers in the state of Ohio to unionize, and the Harvest of Athens dispensary in Athens.