Union responds to lawsuit, calls on The Cannabis Place and Osbert Orduña to fully include employees in their commitment to equity

WEST BERLIN, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#1u–United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 360 (https://www.ufcw360.org/cannabis-campaign) is calling on The Cannabis Place (TCP) and founder Osbert Orduña to step up and honor their publicly celebrated commitments to employees, following the company’s October federal lawsuit challenging New Jersey’s labor peace requirements.

“For workers at The Cannabis Place, this is about whether their jobs will provide fair wages, access to affordable health care and a meaningful voice in the workplace,” said Hugh Giordano, UFCW Local 360’s director of organizing. “Local 360 provided meaningful support to Osbert’s business and worked with him to build and launch a career-oriented training partnership because we believed in the commitments he made. He may have decided to simply abandon those commitments, but his employees deserve to see them fulfilled, including at the bargaining table.”

“We respect Mr. Orduña’s military service and enthusiastically supported him in building this business,” said Sam Ferraino, president of UFCW Local 360. “So, the recent dishonorable behavior on his part is very disappointing. TCP’s workers deserve an employer that deals honorably with those helping it succeed. We’re asking Osbert to be that kind of employer, to follow through on public pledges, and to work honestly toward a fair contract that leads to meaningful improvements on the job.”

UFCW Local 360 rejects The Cannabis Place’s allegations as baseless and views the lawsuit as an attempt to evade the commitments Orduña publicly made to TCP’s employees.

“Any serious consideration of social equity must include worker equity,” Ferraino added. “Opening doors for minority-owned and veteran-owned businesses matters. So does ensuring that the people working in those businesses have an opportunity to build secure, family-supporting careers.”

According to the union, TCP offered neither a counterproposal nor suggested revisions to its opening contract proposal. Giordano raised concerns about the lack of a counterproposal before the Jersey City Council on October 7, emphasizing the potential negative consequences for employees seeking better pay and working conditions.

“The Cannabis Place is not bargaining in good faith,” Giordano told council members, and noted that by “attacking equity and justice for working class people he’s not hurting the UFCW, he’s hurting the workers … who want a living wage, who want the opportunity for fair and decent health care, personal time, sick time, and safe working conditions.”

Prior public announcements document a partnership that TCP and UFCW Local 360 both celebrated:

• In November 2023, they jointly announced a cannabis retail pre-apprenticeship program designed to connect local residents with career training and employment opportunities. In that announcement, Orduña described his vision for TCP as “running an ethical, unionized company and boosting the prospects and prosperity of our neighbors.”
• In July 2024, TCP hosted political and labor leaders at its Jersey City location for a public signing of its union recognition agreement with UFCW Local 360. The accompanying announcement highlighted the value and importance of employees’ efforts to unite for better wages, benefits and workplace standards.

According to Local 360 president Ferraino, the current dispute raises concerns beyond a single dispensary. The lawsuit, against the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission and UFCW Local 360, challenges the state’s labor peace agreement requirements. It also alleges interference with TCP’s efforts to obtain a replacement labor peace agreement. TCP is represented by Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete LLP, a management-side law firm that advertises union-avoidance services and cites its experience developing campaigns to prevent unionization.

From seed to sale, UFCW is a national leader in cannabis labor organizing and is the official cannabis union recognized by the AFL-CIO. UFCW represents tens of thousands of workers in dispensaries, grow operations, labs, delivery services, manufacturing and processing facilities across the U.S., working with employees and business owners toward the shared goal of a regulated cannabis industry that delivers family-sustaining jobs and is focused on social equity.

About United Food and Commercial Workers: The UFCW International Union represents over 1.3 million hardworking families across the U.S. and Canada. These members work in essential industries such as Retail, Warehousing, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Transportation, the Public Sector and Cannabis. More at www.ufcw360.org.

Contacts

Media Contact:
Hugh Giordano,


Director of Organizing,


United Food & Commercial Workers, Local 360,


609-680-5718 / hgiordano@ufcw360.org