© Reuters. Ohio Cannabis Dispensary First To Join Teamsters Union As GOP Seeks To Alter Legalization Law
Benzinga – by Maureen Meehan, Benzinga Editor.
Nearly all eligible workers at the Columbus-based Strawberry Fields dispensary have voted to join Teamsters Local 413, becoming the first in Ohio to affiliate with the union.
The move comes several weeks after Ohioans approved an initiative to legalize adult-use cannabis Nov. 7.
“This is the first of many proprietors we will be organizing now in Ohio, especially now that recreational cannabis is legal,” said Tony Jones, Teamsters International VP at large and president of Local 413.
“These workers are an amazing group of people who stood strong in spite of the company running a nasty anti-union campaign. I have no doubt that the tenacity, bravery, and solidarity they demonstrated during the lead-up to the election will serve them well when we start negotiations.”
Union organizing is going on while Ohio’s now legal cannabis program is under attack by the Republican-dominated state House and Senate. Gov. Mike DeWine (R) and Senate leader Matt Huffman (R) are chipping away at the initiative in an effort to revise it before cannabis possession and cultivation
