Workers at District Cannabis Cultivation Facility Vote to Join Union

Workers at District Cannabis’ Hagerstown, Maryland, facility have voted to join United Food & Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 27. The eight employees work in post-production, packaging, and sorting at the company’s cultivation facility.

In a statement, UFCW Local 27 President Jason Chorpenning said, “For too long, workers in this industry have faced barriers to organizing and standing together for better wages, working conditions, and respect.”

“The workers at District Cannabis are changing that by coming together and taking a stand for their future. This victory is another step forward for cannabis workers across Maryland, and UFCW Local 27 is committed to helping more cultivation workers exercise their right to organize and have a say in their workplace.” — Chorpenning in a press release

The unionization vote at the cultivation facility follows a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision in May that cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facility employees could unionize because they are not considered agricultural workers. In the decision, the NLRB ruled that “none of the workers employed in the classifications at issue…are agricultural laborers under the secondary definition of agriculture.”