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After controversial first attempt, Peachland pot workers unionized

Pot workers fulfil union goal

It was a bumpy road, but a Peachland-area cannabis growing operation and extraction facility has become the first in Canada to unionize.

United Food and Commercial Workers 1518 announced Wednesday that workers at Potanicals Green Growers had joined its union and ratified their first collective agreement. The Potanicals workers are now part of UFCW 1518’s BC Bud division, which supports those in the cannabis industry.

“Our BC Bud division keeps growing because cannabis industry workers know their value and the power they can wield when they work together,” UFCW 1518 President Kim Novak said in a press release. “I’m proud to welcome them to their union and to help them fight for more improvements in the workplace.”

Potanicals last October was forced to rehire nine employees it had laid off following their first attempt at unionization. The company said they were laid off due to financial circumstances, but the union testified during a B.C. Labour Board hearing that the master grower and head of security, who were both let go, were positions that would have to be refilled.

The Labour Board ultimately ruled that the laying off of the nine employees was motivated, in part, by the fact the workers had sought to be represented by a union.

Some of the highlights of the collective agreement include a progressive wage scale based on hours worked and five guaranteed paid sick days per year.

Potanicals Green Growers is located on Paradise Valley Drive, just off Highway 97C.



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