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The wave of cannabis workers in New Jersey who have opted to unionize continues with employees at Curaleaf Holding Inc.’s cultivation site in Winslow and MPX NJ‘s dispensary in Sicklerville both voting to organize.

In a Sept. 21 press release announcing the latest efforts, Union Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 360‘s director of organizing Hugh Giordano stated, “When you deal with companies like MPX NJ, it makes the process easier for everyone.”

“Good employers recognize it’s about more than following the regulations. It’s about dealing fairly with employees, making smart business decisions, and driving sustainable success,” he said.

Workers at Curaleaf’s retail storefronts in Bordentown, Edgewater Park and Bellmawr previously voted to join the union, which represents hundreds of thousands of employees in dispensaries, labs, manufacturing, processing, delivery and grow facilities across the U.S.

For MPX NJ, Sicklerville is the first of two dispensaries to hold a vote. Owned by New York-based multistate operator iAnthus Capital Holdings Inc., the brand also has a shop in Atlantic City and a location coming soon to Pennsauken Township.

As part of New Jersey’s launch of recreational cannabis sales in April 2022, the law included a pro-labor provision requiring companies to negotiate in good faith if employees wanted union representation. Since then, workers at several cannabis companies – including Ascend, Valley Wellness, Harmony Dispensary, Verano and Ayr Wellness – have since organized with UFCW Local 360.

Sam Ferraino Jr., UFCW Local 360’s president, stated, “The Governor and the State Assembly deserve great credit for the way they set this industry up.”

“By including a requirement to enter into Labor Peace agreements with bona fide labor organizations, they made it possible for employees to find out what their rights are, to hear about the options available to them, and then to vote on whether or not to unionize. And in the almost every instance, the obvious benefits of joining a union have won the vote,” he said.

Curaleaf and iAnthus did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding unionization efforts.