The economic downturn did really quite the number on organized labor. Now it sincerely needs to bolster its member ranks somehow. The Teamsters Union is no exclusion, and the union is looking with expectant eye toward what is proving to be a development business in America. Pot could be the sector that Teamsters hopes to use, says the Associated Press.
Marijuana growers unionized with Teamsters
Teamsters got lots of weed growers as new members. About 40 new members were in this category. There is no proof, but many assume the members must mostly be from California. This is because in the whole nation, California has the most permissive medical cannabis laws. Many wonder how Teamsters plans to protect its members that are committing federal crimes with the planting season.
Lou Marchetti, Teamsters liaison between the newly signed growers and Oakland, Calif., Teamsters Local 70, told the AP that he hadn’t planned on such a thing as organizing weed workers when he joined the union 34 years ago.
He said, “This is a whole new ballgame”.
Any business that Teamsters think is breaking the law will not be a part of the company. Marchetti made this very clear when talking about farmers in California.
Marjyn Investments LLC creates more work for Teamsters
Marjyn Investments LCC works with medical cannabis patients to help them grow their own cannabis plants with gardening, trimming and cloning jobs. The Teamsters Union helped the employees with a two-year contract. They now have pensions, paid getaway and health insurance. In turn, wages will rise from $18 per hour to $25.75 per hour over the next 15 months, as outlined by Teamsters Local 70.
Getting rid of pot growing troubles
States like California go against federal law in allowing marijuana plants to be grown for medical reasons. However, if the federal government decided to crack down on Marjyn Investments, Marchetti is uncertain exactly how Teamsters would respond. For that matter, the AP states that marijuana trimmers have an arduous job, and federal law would not step in on their behalf if trimmers happened to be subjected to abusive labor practices. In Oakland, there is an assistant regional director for National Labor Relations Board. This is Michael Leong who states the category of farm workers may not even contain Teamster marijuana growers. If such is the case, they’d fall outside the jurisdiction of the NLRB.
Growing marijuana dispensaries with cultivation still ‘in the shadows’
California law has allowed marijuana dispensaries to grow into a booming new business, but existing laws have not fully defined just how cultivation operations like Marjyn Investments LLC should be regulated. Labor standards aren’t figured out for the area yet. Of course, many individuals anticipate working in that area eventually within the future. Many are putting in applications to try and get ready to start for themselves. Of course, we know now that there isn’t any requirement of being within the Teamsters Union in order to get started.
Additional reading
Associated Press
newser.com/article/d9ibmhtg0/us-teamsters-boost-membership-by-adding-medical-pot-growers-to-the-union-rolls.html
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