Efforts to unionize San Jose’s fledgling cannabis industry have yet to catch fire

THE LEGALIZATION OF cannabis in California has touched off a wave of unionization efforts across the state, but the movement has been slow in San Jose — a city that has been iffy about growing its small weed industry.

According to Jim Araby, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 5 strategic campaign director, only one of San Jose’s 16 dispensaries is unionized — MedMen. Workers at the dispensary Urbn Leaf won a union election in October 2019, but the company appealed the election outcome to the National Labor Relations Board. The board upheld the vote, and the union is now working with the company to negotiate a contract.