In this episode of Wine, Women, and Revolution Heather is joined in the studio by Matte Kane and Hugh Giordano from United Food and Commercial workers to talk about cannabis legalization in New Jersey. Matte was at the start of a case of pneumonia (its that time of the year) so please bear with his difficulty breathing. He is on the mend now.
Hard at Work
Hugh Giordano has been on the show before, back in the earliest days before we even had a real microphone and you can find that interview here. He brought Matte Kane along with him to talk all things cannabis in the state of New Jersey. The last time Hugh was here the senate and assembly bills were just being drafted for the first time. Since that time, they have been fighting to make sure the bills include protection for the working class as well as for medical patients. They had some success in getting labor language into the bill. As it stands all new cannabis dispensaries will be unionized.
Benefits of Unions
Since the cannabis industry in the state of New Jersey is already being corporatized, these basic levels of protections are great to see. A lot of the benefits that come along with union membership are paid for by UFCW themselves, like free higher education. Social justice aspects also come along with unionization. Living wage jobs can lift entire families and entire communities out of poverty. There are many forgotten areas scattered throughout New Jersey that could benefit from opening a grower or dispensary.
Protection for the
Unprotected
Matte points out that as the industry currently stands, the
workers at these dispensaries aren’t even protected under federal labor law.
Since it is still illegal on the national level, these workers are not granted
a single protection including minimum wage (as paltry as that is). The
businesses aren’t a recognized industry to the feds. That makes unions the ONLY
line of defense for these workers until national law changes.
Cannabis: A Unique Opportunity
Since this is a brand-new industry, UFCW has been able to be
in the ear of everyone developing it from legislators to the companies starting
up. It helps to remind all these decision makers that ultimately it comes down
to working class people. Matte is optimistic that after 2 years of punching out
a bill we have something that could put New Jersey ahead of the curve in many
aspects.
The Giant Legislative
Session
Hugh and Matte were able to be able the giant hearings at the New Jersey Statehouse at the end of last year. 4 sessions were happening at the same time. Matte commented on just how large of a crowd it drew. Matte estimated there were over 1000 participants in the hearing with more outside. They admit they live in a bubble concerning this bill, so it was a good opportunity to hear the pros and the cons and understand how to make a better bill. Matte was pleasantly surprised at how well run the meeting was. After this session, there is no excuse for any of the legislators to not know all the facts.
Members First
When UFCW got involved in this legislation, it was because they saw it was an issue that was going to affect their existing members. They knew they were going to have members who were cannabis patients. Organizing the facilities was not their first concern, it evolved out of the activism. Patients in New Jersey don’t currently have job protections. If your company has a zero tolerance policy you could be terminated from your job for taking a doctor approved medication.
Designed to Prevent Insurance
Companies
At a dispensary in New Jersey you must pay for your medicine
cash up front. This prevents patients from using any kind of insurance. It eliminates a billing cycle. It makes no
sense for prescription medications to be sold that way, but that was how it was
set up under Christie. It also prevents insurance companies from negotiating a
price. UFCW is an example. They have 60,000 members in NJ, and their i
