The Marijuana Herald – Marijuana news and information
In a historic first for Arizona’s cannabis industry, cultivation workers at Trulieve’s Magnolia facility in Phoenix have officially ratified the state’s first-ever union contract for cannabis growers.
The three-year deal, approved Wednesday night, marks a significant milestone not just for Trulieve employees but for Arizona’s broader labor movement. While dispensary workers in the state have previously unionized, this is the first time cannabis cultivation workers — those who grow and process the product — have secured a union agreement.
The deal was brokered by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 99, Arizona’s largest private sector union, which represents more than 25,000 workers statewide. Trulieve’s Phoenix-based cultivation team had already made headlines in January 2024 when they voted 37 to 4 to unionize — making them Arizona’s first agricultural union in nearly a quarter-century. Now, with a contract in hand, they’ve made history again.
“This is the first step into being able to have a career in the industry,” said UFCW Local 99 spokesperson Drake Ridge. “To be able to plan your life — when you’re going to get raises, holiday pay, promotions — that kind of stability is huge in cannabis.”…