US (CT): State's first cannabis workers union forms

Connecticut’s first cannabis workers union has been formed by workers at a West Haven cultivation facility.

Forty-eight workers at Advanced Grow Labs in West Haven voted to unionize, with a focus on wages, benefits, and workplace protections, according to a release.

“We are so inspired by the team at Advanced Grow Labs. They are the very first cannabis workers in the State of Connecticut to form their union,” said UFCW Local 919 President Mark A. Espinosa in a release Monday. “We are excited to bargain a contract and set the standard for all cannabis workers in this state.”

Though it is the first cannabis worker union in Connecticut, it probably won’t be the last. The law that allowed the possession, use, and sale of recreational cannabis included a provision that required a “labor peace agreement” as a condition of full licensure.