SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – Employees at Authentic 909, a cannabis dispensary in the City of San Bernardino, voted on Saturday to ratify a labor agreement with UFCW Local 1167, making it the first unionized cannabis shop in the Inland Empire.
The store, located at 1181 South E St., employs about 30 people. These workers will now join thousands of other cannabis workers across the country who are members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.
UFCW Local 1167 President Joe Duffle said the union and the dispensary’s owner, Nibble This, LLC, negotiated the new contract with mutual recognition that “the cannabis industry is growing and workers want dignity and deserve respect on the job.”
“Workers in this sector across California and the country are joining the UFCW because our focus is on creating good-paying union jobs that provide people with a living wage, excellent health and retirement benefits and the best job protections,” Duffle said.
“This first contract delivers on all fronts,” he continued. “We are gratified this employer is treating its workers right and serving the community with good, sustainable jobs.”
Duffle noted that another major cannabis employer, Perfect-Union, recently negotiated contracts with UFCW locals in Northern California and New Mexico.
Earlier in October, UFCW Local 1167 and Nibble This conducted a “record change” workshop at Authentic 909 to help community members reclassify certain low-level convictions from their records, helping remove barriers to obtaining jobs, housing and more.
“The legalization of cannabis is creating economic opportunities and making communities safer across California and other states,” said Raquel Origel, founder and chief executive of Nibble This. “It is important that these benefits are shared fairly and broadly, including with the workers who are helping build this industry. We are proud of our partnership with UFCW Local 1167 and look forward to serving the Inland Empire community.”
Local 1167 of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union represents more than 20,000 workers in San Bernardino, Riverside and Imperial Counties. Its members work in supermarkets, drug stores, pharmacies, warehouses, packing plants, health facilities, offices and other job sites.
