Labor Unions Recruiting Marijuana Workers

One in San Jose is first in the nation to organize employees
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted May 29, 2010 1:39 PM CDT
Labor Unions Recruiting Marijuana Workers
A manager at the Coffeeshop Blue Sky dispensary in Oakland sorts his bags.   (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Dude, that's not just any "bud tender" dispensing legal pot. It's a union bud tender. At least that's the case in San Jose, where a union local has become the first in the nation to organize workers in the ever-expanding field of legal marijuana, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. And yes, "bud tender" is one of the job classifications under consideration.

"These will be good union jobs with middle-class incomes," said the president of the United Food and Commercials Workers Local 5. The move makes sense for both sides, analysts tell the Chronicle. Unions will be able to shore up declining enrollments, and the pot industry will be further destigmatized ahead of a California vote that would make recreational use legal. (More marijuana stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X