As time runs out for New Jersey cities to establish cannabis limitations before Governor Murphy’s August 21st deadline, UFCW Local 152 staff continue to attend meetings up and down the Garden State to voice the Local’s support of the industry. Our presence at the meetings continues to be well-documented in local news.
Below is a compiled list of recent mentions.
Raritan Township
On Tuesday, May 4th, UFCW Local 152 Union Representative Hugh Giordano attended the Raritan Township Committee meeting. He was later mentioned in a local news article:
Union activist Hugh Giordano, of Blackwood, said many jobs surrounding the cannabis industry will benefit union workers. He pointed to an ordinance passed in Bayonne as a model.
Read the full article on TapInto.net, a Flemington/Raritan local news website.
Hightstown
Union Representative Hugh Giordano attended the Hightstown Borough Council meeting on Monday, May 17th.
The Hightstown Borough Council has approved an ordinance that would ban the sale, package, distribution and cultivation of cannabis, despite opposition from some residents and a union representative who claimed it would create new jobs. […]
When the Hightstown Borough Council meeting was opened for public comment on the ordinance, several residents urged the council to approve the ordinance. The thread that ran through most of the comments was job creation.
Hugh Giordano, who represents the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 152, said the cannabis industry would provide good jobs and wages, and that it would attract hardworking people who are interested in a long-term career.
Read the full article on CentralJersey.com.
Manchester Township
At the Monday, May 24th Manchester Township Council meeting, Union Representative Hugh Giordano attended and spoke on behalf of the cannabis industry. He was later quoted in a local news website:
Hugh Giordano, a representative of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which is a national labor union which represents cannabis workers said, “We oppose any opt out or ban that have been pushed by the League of Municipalities. These are good union jobs. These are living wage jobs. They will be careers and they will be educated careers – people with degrees in botonny, horticulture, chemistry. At the medical dispensaries, there are pharmacists working.”
He advised the council to review an ordinance passed by Bayonne weeks earlier “so that you can decide who comes in and what kind of character they have and look at their labor rights, community standards, environmental standards and security standards on a point-based system and the city of Bayonne has done that work already.”
Read the full article on Jersey Shore Online.
Basking Ridge
On Tuesday, May 25th, Union Representative Hugh Giordano attended the Bernards Township Committee meeting and was later mentioned in a local news website.
One non-resident, Hugh Giordano, a Union representative of cannabis workers, was the only person to comment in favor of having cannabis business in town.
Read the full article on Patch.
Dennis Township
Executive Assistant to the President Dan Konczyk and Union Representative Hugh Giordano together attended the Tuesday, June 8th Dennis Township Committee meeting. They were later mentioned:
Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 152, representing grocery, retail, chemical and health care workers, among others, opposed the ordinance’s passage, making their traditional arguments that cannabis consumption and businesses supporting that activity bring tax revenues, create jobs, and are aligned with voter choice and options for ill individuals.
Read the full article on Cape May County Herald.
Toms River
On Wednesday, June 9th, Union Representative Hugh Giordano spoke at the Toms River Council meeting once again to support cannabis within the township. It was later reported:
Hugh Giordano, a representative of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which represents cannabis workers, has urged the town to reconsider the ban because the industry will create jobs that he said “offer good pay and benefits, and will grow the middle class. He has called the ban an attack on working people.
Read the full article on Patch.
Piscataway
Union Representative Hugh Giordano spoke at the Thursday, June 10th Piscataway Town Council meeting. He was later quoted in a local newspaper:
Hugh Giordano, who represents a national building trade union in the industry said banning cannabis in the township would be an attack on workers and the local economy, and would hurt those looking for medicine.
“These are the types of jobs that attract young, educated families,” said Giordano. “Most people who work in dispensaries have degrees in botany, horticulture, and chemistry. We even have pharmacists.”
Commitment
UFCW Local 152 is not new to fighting on behalf of the cannabis industry up and down the Garden State.
On a national level, the United Food and Commercial Workers represent workers in both medical and recreational cannabis-related industries. UFCW Local 152 is committed to standing with cannabis workers in our area to not only create good jobs, but also represent them so that their employers pay good wages, good benefits, and fair treatment in a safe work environment. Discover more about the Cannabis Campaign in our area and our efforts to support workers in the industry.
If you work in the Cannabis industry and want to join UFCW Local 152, please contact us via our Union Interest form.
