An Oregon ballot measure will ask voters this November whether to make it easier for cannabis workers to unionize.
Under Ballot Measure 119, United for Cannabis Workers Act, employers at cannabis retail and processing businesses would be required to sign a "labor peace agreement" with a labor union to receive a license from the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission. In that agreement, employers must agree not to interfere with organizing efforts if their employees choose to unionize.
As of early September, there's no organized opposition to the measure, although a business lobbying group opposed a similar law that died in the Oregon Legislature last year.
Because of vague federal laws, cannabis workers are often denied the right to unionize, said Miles Eshaia, a spokesperson for United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 — Oregon's largest private sector labor union. "This should have been something that came out when Oregon passed legalization for recreational use," Eshaia said.
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