Employees vote in favour of Manitoba’s first ever cannabis collective agreement: union

Over 100 cannabis workers in Manitoba have voted overwhelmingly in favour of signing a new collective agreement, making it the first of its kind in the province.

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), the union representing employees at ten The Joint locations across Manitoba, said the new 30-month agreement addresses numerous concerns including safety, rates of pay and unjust disciplines.

“I’m proud of our new members who stood up for their rights to join UFCW and worked together on not only organizing their workplace but also working with us to obtain the first collective agreement for Cannabis retail workers in the province of Manitoba,” UFCW Local 832 president Jeff Traeger said in a news release.

Workers initially reached out to UFCW about joining the union, and a province-wide certificate was obtained in June 2022.

UFCW Local 832 represents over 19,000 Manitoban workers in food production, food distribution, warehousing, and more.

Traeger said since these cannabis workers joined the union, they have heard from numerous others who are also interested.

“Many of them have been waiting to see what a collective agreement would provide them. We will continue to work on advocating for all cannabis workers in Manitoba to ensure this industry has the proper protections these workers deserve.”