The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 360 labor union announced that cultivation employees at Fresh Cannabis in Somerset, in Franklin Township in Somerset County, voted to join the union.
It is the third Fresh Cannabis site in New Jersey to join Local 360. Workers at the company’s dispensaries in Eatontown, in Monmouth County, and Elizabeth, in Union County, have already voted in favor of union representation.
The UFCW said it highlights the continued success and expansion of labor organizing 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. I’m looking forward to what’s to come.”
Fresh Cannabis operates in New Jersey, Colorado, and Delaware, making it a small Multi-State Operator (MSO).
UFCW Helping Cannabis Cultivation Workers
“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.”
Sam Ferraino, Jr., President of UFCW Local 360, agreed.
“The progress we’re seeing across New Jersey’s cannabis industry shows that workers know their value,” SF said. “They’re rejecting anti-worker narratives and coming together to secure their futures.”
“UFCW Local 360 stands ready to help employers and employees work together to build long-term success, safe workplaces, and strong communities,” Ferraino added.
For more than a decade, UFCW Local 360 has been at the forefront of efforts to ensure that New Jersey’s cannabis industry delivers fair wages, strong labor protections, and real opportunities for advancement.
Thousands of cannabis workers, from cultivation to retail, have joined the union since the launch of its Cannabis Workers Rising campaign.
Giordano regularly meets with workers and hears their concerns. He credits the transparency and expertise at the heart of Local 360’s organizing effort for its continued success.
Giordano argued the UFCW is committed 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,” Giordano said.
(Stock photo used above.)
