United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 360 announced that cultivation employees at FRESH Cultivation in Somerset have voted to unionize. This marks the third FRESH cannabis site in New Jersey to join Local 360.
The company’s dispensaries in Eatontown and Elizabeth have previously voted for union representation, highlighting the continued success and expansion of UFCW Local 360’s targeted labor-organizing movement across the state’s growing cannabis industry.
“Working with the union means security in my job and in my daily life,” said FRESH Cultivation employee John Edwards III. “Having people who are on my side, to support my needs in the background, is reassuring. The relationship I have with UFCW Local 360 has been great so far, and I’m looking forward to what’s to come.”
Multistate cannabis company FRESH Cannabis operates in New Jersey, Colorado and Delaware. Describing itself as “a modern legacy” brand, it operates cultivation facilities and its own dispensaries. The two distinct operations represent an important cross-section of New Jersey’s legal cannabis economy that Local 360 has worked to organize and professionalize since the beginning of legalization.
“Cultivation workers are the backbone of this industry,” said Hugh Giordano, director of Organizing for UFCW Local 360. “It’s their skill, care and commitment that determine product quality, consistency and safety. By choosing to unionize with UFCW Local 360, these FRESH employees are reminding us that organizing is about partnership, about helping businesses succeed while ensuring that workers can build stable, family-sustaining careers.”
Giordano, who regularly meets with cannabis industry workers, credits the transparency and expertise at the heart of Local 360’s organizing effort for its continued success. He also pointed out UFCW’s commitment to building a successful industry with a thriving, diverse and skilled workforce, wherever cannabis is legalized.
“This vote is both a great sign for the movement and a clear demonstration of the success of our Cannabis Workers Rising campaign,” said Giordano.
“The progress we’re seeing across New Jersey’s cannabis industry shows that workers know their value,” said Sam Ferraino Jr., president of UFCW Local 360. “They’re rejecting anti-worker narratives and coming together to secure their futures. At every level of this industry, from seed to sale, UFCW Local 360 stands ready to help employers and employees work together to build long-term success, safe workplaces and strong communities.”
