Jose R. Gonzalez, Arizona Republic
Sun, April 21, 2024
Amid 90-degree heat on Saturday and coinciding with 4/20, about two dozen unionized cannabis workers and supporters conducted a two-hour picket outside a Phoenix marijuana dispensary at the heart of stalled bargaining negotiations.
Nicholas Fredrickson stood alongside fellow Curaleaf employees participating in the rally organized by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 99 at a company store on East Camelback Road near North Seventh Street. Workers rallied in support of safer working conditions, full-time employment and a living wage, as stated by organizers.
Fredrickson, who was starting a shift at another Curaleaf location soon after, said the pay for cannabis employees is not matching the cost of living as it did when he joined the industry about five years ago."We were able to comfortably take care of our families," Fredrickson said of the time before recreational marijuana was legalized in 2020.
Since then, Fredrickson argued, customer demand has outpaced employee needs.
After legalization, "it all went in the toilet. It absolutely went down the hill," he said, adding there were no employee safeguards upon legalization.
Curaleaf has 5,200 employees and 147 locations across the country, according to the company's website.
Referring to the National Labor Relations Act, a decision and order issued by the National Labor Relations Board on Feb. 29 found that the dispensary had refused and neglected to engage in bargaining with the union.
"We find that these failures and refusals constitute an unlawful failure and refusal to recognize and bargain with the Union in violation of Section 8(a)(5) and (1) of the Act," read the board's ruling.
Curaleaf did not respond to a Saturday morning request for comment.
'It's about every worker having that opportunity'
Protesters marched to the Curaleaf store to deliver an April 9 letter to the company's labor relations manager, Ryan Gonsalves.
The letter alleged misinformation regarding the bargaining process and pay raises. Outside the dispensary, a standoff ensued for a few minutes between chanting protesters attempting to enter the store and a man wearing sunglasses and a Phoenix Suns cap. The man, identified by union organizers as a store manager, eventually accepted the letter and took it inside.
"The Union only asks that Curaleaf give notice of the raises and an opportunity for the Union to quickly review the proposal for any issues, such as fairness. Of course, the Union and Curaleaf may agree to future raises through bargaining, but Curaleaf employees have gone long enough without a pay increase," the letter read.
At the rally, state Rep. Oscar De Los Santos, D-Phoenix, said his presence reflected his commitment to "the working class" and argued that a contract for cannabis workers was only just.
"They're not asking for the moon. This is basic dignity for workers, so that they can retire with a semblance of dignity," De Los Santos said. "It's not just about this industry. It's about every worker having that opportunity 'cause that's how this country was built. That's how you build the middle class."
Appointed to the state Legislature on Wednesday, Rep. Junelle Cavero, D-Phoenix, said she was at the rally to support unions as her family had benefited from her father being a unionized letter carrier.
"A union was able to provide" benefits for the family, Cavero said, adding that the cannabis industry is "a new industry that is giving America tremendous jobs and greater economy but isn't playing fairly."
UFCW Local 99 spokesperson Drake Ridge said during a Sept. 15 protest at Curaleaf's Dispensary Midtown, the company had called police on picketers for trespassing, including Fredrickson, who on Saturday for that reason did not march to the store.
"The retaliation has been strong with this company, especially recently," Fredrickson said. "I think they're getting more aggressive in order to shake up the workforce and try to get the strong voices and the leaders out of the workforce, so that when they finally sit at the table with us, we have a much lower chance of getting a contract we deserve."
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cannabis workers picket Phoenix dispensary after negotiations stall
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