Can unions ensure marijuana workers earn a livable wage?

Most marijuana workers in California don’t make enough money to meet living-wage standards across much of the state, but unionization provides a path to stability, according to a new report.Cannabis workers in the state earn a median hourly wage of $19.50, above California’s minimum wage and median wages in retail and delivery.

ADVERTISEMENT However, nearly 43% of women, 29% of men and 81% of gender-nonconforming workers said they had trouble paying for food or groceries within the past year, according to a survey of 1,100 marijuana employees by the UCLA Labor Center and grassroots research hub Cannabis Worker Collab.Unionization has made a difference in whether cannabis workers get raises and receive employer-provided health insurance, according to the report, which found that 20% of workers surveyed reported being a union member.

The report – “The State of the California Cannabis Workforce” – found that 69% of union workers received raises, compared with 50% of nonunion employees, and 65% had employer-provided health insurance, compared with 41% of nonunion staffers.“We’ve seen firsthand how organizing leads to better pay, safety protections and dignity at work, Mskindness Batchelor-Ramirez, a co-author of the report and the founder of marijuana education organization Club Kindness, said last week during a news conference.

“These workers are demanding a voice in shaping the future of the cannabis industry, and they deserve it.” Some are fighting marijuana unionization In other parts of the country, however, the marijuana industry is pushing back on unionization efforts.In New York City, Hybrid NYC is fighting a unionization effort by trying to overturn a labor-friendly licensing requirement in court.

In New Jersey, employees of multistate operator Green Thumb Industries are seeking a vote on whether they can remove United Food and Commercial Workers Local 360.In Oregon, a federal court...