WARREN, Mich., Nov. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Workers at the PharmaCann cannabis facility in Warren, Mich., have voted overwhelmingly to join Teamsters Local 337, taking part in a growing movement of workers in the cannabis industry unionizing with the Teamsters across the country.
"The cannabis industry is at the forefront of the modern labor movement, and we are incredibly excited to welcome our newest members into the Teamsters," said Todd Lince, President of Local 337. "This vote is the first step to ensuring workers get the compensation and benefits they deserve. Together, we can turn these jobs into careers."
The 59 newest members of Local 337 are responsible for the logistics, distribution, and manufacturing of PharmaCann products. The Teamsters already represent the company's retail workers in Illinois, but the Warren facility is the first of its production facilities to join the union. It's also the first cannabis operation in the Detroit metro area to affiliate with the Teamsters.
"As we continue to make inroads at dispensaries and cannabis processing facilities across the country, we're setting an example for everyone in the industry," said Jesse Case, Director of the Teamsters Food Processing Division. "PharmaCann members in Illinois get regular pay increases, protections against unjust termination, a fair process for scheduling, and many other benefits that we'll be demanding when we go to the bargaining table with cannabis Teamsters in Warren."
"While prices have gone up by nearly 50 percent in 15 years, our incomes have barely moved," said Amberlin Stark, a cultivation technician and new Teamster. "If corporations' compensation has gone way up, but our wages haven't, how is this a fair exchange? As Teamsters, we are going to correct this injustice."
