{"id":55024,"date":"2024-07-03T14:05:55","date_gmt":"2024-07-03T14:05:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/?post_type=victories&p=55024"},"modified":"2024-07-03T14:05:55","modified_gmt":"2024-07-03T14:05:55","slug":"cannabis-workers-in-arizona-ratify-a-first-union-contract","status":"publish","type":"victories","link":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/actions\/victories\/cannabis-workers-in-arizona-ratify-a-first-union-contract\/","title":{"rendered":"Cannabis Workers in Arizona Ratify a First Union Contract"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On June 18, workers at Zen Leaf Local Joint and Zen Leaf Chandler cannabis dispensaries in Arizona voted to ratify their first union contract with UFCW Local 99, becoming the first cannabis industry union members in the state\u2019s history.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The four-year contract includes guaranteed wage increases, seven paid holidays, paid time off, paid bereavement leave, a 401(k) option, seniority and qualification-based promotions, and just-cause discharge.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The ratification vote took place nearly two years after both dispensaries voted in favor of unionizing. The Zen Leaf dispensary in Chandler became the second dispensary in state history to do so in July of 2022, followed by Zen Leaf Local Joint employees in Phoenix in September of that year. UFCW Local 99 reached a tentative contract agreement with Zen Leaf\u2019s parent company, Verano Holdings, earlier this month. Verano Holdings is a vertically integrated, multistate operator based in Chicago that owns 140 retail cannabis operations across 13 states.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\u201cToday marks a significant milestone not just for Zen Leaf employees, but for all Arizona cannabis workers,\u201d said UFCW Local 99 President Jim McLaughlin. \u201cWith guaranteed wage increases and seniority-based promotions, workers at Zen Leaf can finally plan for their futures and forge a career path in the industry they helped build. This goes to show that Arizona\u2019s cannabis industry works best when workers have a seat at the table.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\u201cI\u2019ve been here since before we got bought out\u2026.A lot of things have changed, and I think that\u2019s why we started the union,\u201d said Brianna Martinez, a cannabis advisor at Zen Leaf Chandler, who was originally hired by Territory Dispensary before its acquisition by Verano in 2021. \u201cCorporate wasn\u2019t really listening to us\u2026and, you know, trying to voice those opinions, realizing that if they\u2019re not going to listen, then starting a union, we\u2019ll make those changes. And finally, two years later, I\u2019m seeing that change happening in that contract\u2026.It\u2019s a weight off our shoulders for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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While workers at the two Zen Leaf locations are the first to ratify their union contract, there are seven other cannabis workplaces in Arizona where employees have voted to unionize with UFCW Local 99, including Curaleaf\u2019s Midtown, Camelback, and Airport dispensary locations; Sunday Goods\u2019 Tempe dispensary; Green Pharms\u2019 Flagstaff dispensary; Kaycha Labs; and the Trulieve<\/a> Magnolia cultivation facility in Phoenix.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On June 18, workers at Zen Leaf Local Joint and Zen Leaf Chandler cannabis dispensaries in Arizona voted to ratify their first union contract with UFCW Local 99, becoming the first cannabis industry union members in the state\u2019s history. 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