B.C. budtenders become first private cannabis workers to unionize in Canada..what a fucking joke

Two of seven Clarity Cannabis storefronts vote to join UFCW 1518 union

A group of employees at a B.C. cannabis company have become the first private sector dispensary workers to unionize in Canada.


Staff members at two Clarity Cannabis storefronts in Greater Victoria have joined the United Food and Commercial Workers’ 1518 Local, the union announced Tuesday.


Clarity Cannabis operates five other stores in B.C., including a third location in Greater Victoria, as well as in Cranbrook, Dawson Creek, Kamloops and Prince Rupert. The company employs roughly 40 workers across all of its locations.



Also known as budtenders, the staff work in the storefront and assist customers by explaining the various strains and effects of cannabis.


According to the union, the budtenders decided to unionize to address fair wages, workplace policy, safety and security concerns and education and training opportunities.


“The cannabis industry is an emerging sector and it’s important to build worker power so that budtenders, as well as other cannabis workers, have a strong voice,” union president Kim Novak said in a statement. “That is our union’s commitment.”

Why is it a joke?

will only see the prices of herb GO UP
and a union needed to keep flower pickers rotffl ?? spare me!

They;ll get replaced by glorified vending machines in no time anyway like we need to be served or something lol its kinda funny really
this won't work to help them any..

Unions aren't about money, they're about fair equitable wages and job security. NS has unionized "bud tenders" because they fall under the NSLC employees union (NSGEU), where they sell cannabis, and I bet it raises the per gram cost by about 10 cents or less.

If governments gave a flying fuck about workers, the minimum wage would reflect a living wage and would include benefits, but it doesn't because... temporary foreign workers, the corporate devaluation of labor. Unions are the equalizer.

I don't give a fuck how much weed costs, I grow my own.

Stores.......hahahahahahahahahahaha...who the fuck needs or would use a store. Buy from the jailers....YA RIGHT
BOYCOTT..save your pride.

gb123 said:

will only see the prices of herb GO UP
and a union needed to keep flower pickers rotffl ?? spare me!

They;ll get replaced by glorified vending machines in no time anyway like we need to be served or something lol its kinda funny really
this won't work to help them any..

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Against collective bargaining? Move to China, Ever been In a union? There's plenty of money going around, no reason the budtenders don't deserve a piece.

gb123 said:

will only see the prices of herb GO UP
and a union needed to keep flower pickers rotffl ?? spare me!

Click to expand...

First, as growers, on a cannabis growing site, I don't think the price of cannabis in boutique retail shops matters to the majority of us.

Second, a union isn't to "keep" employees. Unions exist to protect workers against unfair, unethical, immoral and illegal business practices.

I won’t buy from ‘em but I support Unions.

Union Pride Brothers.

They have the right to join a union I have no problem with that. I even wish them well and hope their union can get them a living wage, but somehow doubt it. Hopefully it isn’t the type of union that tells their members how to vote.

In reality they are just a small portion of the overhead. Any nickle and dime increases they get will not affect the bottom line by much if anything at all.

Such is being employed by greedy assholes.

Really if the market was not rigged and they were able to practise free enterprise, these “employees” would be much better off.

From one brother to another.

Corso312 said:

Against collective bargaining? Move to China, Ever been In a union? There's plenty of money going around, no reason the budtenders don't deserve a piece.

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The budtenders deserve to be paid the amount that is mutually agreed upon between themselves and the person(s) paying them.

The budtenders also deserve to be able to start their own competitive grow business, without any restrictions and make all the money the market does or does not provide, based on their ability to satisfy customers.

lol and everyone here has been part of a Union have they?
Unions went out with the dodo bird
They DO NOT protect employees.like you think
What they do is lose out on contracts due to their COST being far above other doing the same work CHEAPER..
Unions are a joke that only hinder companies growing..the way the have been worked ..or NOT WORKED for ever.
5 guys to do the same job as one thats needed.
At one time they helped.now a day they do shit for anyone.

gb123 said:

lol and everyone here has been part of a Union have they?
Unions went out with the dodo bird
They DO NOT protect employees.like you think
What they do is lose out on contracts due to their COST being far above other doing the same work CHEAPER..
Unions are a joke that only hinder companies growing..the way the have been worked ..or NOT WORKED for ever.
5 guys to do the same job as one thats needed.
At one time they helped.now a day they do shit for anyone.

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We are in agreeance................lolz.

gb123 said:

lol and everyone here has been part of a Union have they?
Unions went out with the dodo bird
They DO NOT protect employees.like you think
What they do is lose out on contracts due to their COST being far above other doing the same work CHEAPER..
Unions are a joke that only hinder companies growing..the way the have been worked ..or NOT WORKED for ever.
5 guys to do the same job as one thats needed.
At one time they helped.now a day they do shit for anyone.

Click to expand...

Wrong! I'd say you have no working knowledge of unions other than some right wing, union busting propaganda. I thought the same until I became a member, now I wouldn't have it any other way. If you want to do the same work for less with no job security, bare minimum safety requirements, little to no pension/retirement in return for the skills you have acquired through your hard work, all so your boss will make more money, be my guest. A race to the bottom is not a race I would enter, but to each their own I guess.

BurtMaklin said:

Wrong! I'd say you have no working knowledge of unions other than some right wing, union busting propaganda. I thought the same until I became a member, now I wouldn't have it any other way. If you want to do the same work for less with no job security, bare minimum safety requirements, little to no pension/retirement in return for the skills you have acquired through your hard work so your boss will make more money, be my guest. A race to the bottom is not a race I would enter, but to each their own I guess.

Click to expand...

Donald Trump's practice of hiring underpaid, overworked, and illegal immigrant staff at his properties is an ideal example of how unions can protect workers. If his staff unionized, he wouldn't have been able to get away with that unlawfulness while spewing out hate for illegal immigrants, and stealing taxpayer dollars to build a ridiculous wall, while claiming Mexico would pay for it.

So, union haters, have you received your tax rebate check for what you've paid toward the wall yet? Trump himself was hiring outside people to fill jobs you could have been doing?

spek9 said:

Donald Trump's practice of hiring underpaid, overworked, and illegal immigrant staff at his properties is an ideal example of how unions can protect workers. If his staff unionized, he wouldn't have been able to get away with that unlawfulness while spewing out hate for illegal immigrants, and stealing taxpayer dollars to build a ridiculous wall, while claiming Mexico would pay for it.

So, union haters, have you received your tax rebate check for what you've paid toward the wall yet? Trump himself was hiring outside people to fill jobs you could have been doing?

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Sure dude..........

gb123 said:

lol and everyone here has been part of a Union have they?
Unions went out with the dodo bird
They DO NOT protect employees.like you think
What they do is lose out on contracts due to their COST being far above other doing the same work CHEAPER..
Unions are a joke that only hinder companies growing..the way the have been worked ..or NOT WORKED for ever.
5 guys to do the same job as one thats needed.
At one time they helped.now a day they do shit for anyone.

Click to expand...

If you don’t feel safe at work you quit.
If you don’t get enough money. You quit.
If you need money for retirement you save it.
I don’t need anybody looking out for me especially the government/union.
I see the draw to unions and respect everyone else’s opinions, but that is my opinion.

BurtMaklin said:

Wrong! I'd say you have no working knowledge of unions other than some right wing, union busting propaganda.

Click to expand...

I'm a trade.
Been in the trades my entire life. Watch electrical Plumbing and elevator trades get SCREWED all due to unions
not to mention what assholes can do to the company with just PLAIN OLD LYING about what they say they did and got fired for..
lol OSHAWA FOOD TERMINAL went on strike for over a week ..due to some idiot lying about his health issues and the BROTHERS ALL STANDING BEHIND HIM weather they believed him or not. YA they work ..NOT
Elevator trades out of work all due to the fact they CHARGE WAY TO MUCH
etc etc etc you were saying?
speaking about safety I went back to work after many years of being away..WHAT A CHANGE went to a Union Job O'Connor electric,
They are not union but do union work? lol
Ya
Talk about safety BS ??
10 mins every day of people standing around checking their personal lift for issues so the company WONT BE HELD responsible for any injuries and they have to Sign off in compliance after they are done. To see the foreman's face KNOWING that only 20 years ago it was
Here is a rope There is a ladder DO THE WORK or go home YOUR Choice hahahahaha
lol that's when you looked for other work.
The safety aspect of construction went CRAZY ...and yet the same shit happens every day.

Bobby Long Buds said:

If you don’t feel safe at work you quit.
If you don’t get enough money. You quit.
If you need money for retirement you save it.
I don’t need anybody looking out for me especially the government/union.
I see the draw to unions and respect everyone else’s opinions, but that is my opinion.

Click to expand...

I have only seen unions fuck people..from over time pay to being let go for wrong reason etc..
Its a farce and companies have learned how to play the game..just like unions did long ago.
Now its blowing in their face!!

spek9 said:

Donald Trump's practice of hiring underpaid, overworked, and illegal immigrant staff at his properties is an ideal example of how unions can protect workers. If his staff unionized, he wouldn't have been able to get away with that unlawfulness while spewing out hate for illegal immigrants, and stealing taxpayer dollars to build a ridiculous wall, while claiming Mexico would pay for it.

So, union haters, have you received your tax rebate check for what you've paid toward the wall yet? Trump himself was hiring outside people to fill jobs you could have been doing?

Click to expand...

why bring up Trump in a Canadian forum? i don't like the guy but he's not the person who ruined the world. he's not helping but blaming him for everything is just not true.

spek9 said:

Donald Trump's practice of hiring underpaid, overworked, and illegal immigrant staff at his properties is an ideal example of how unions can protect workers. If his staff unionized, he wouldn't have been able to get away with that unlawfulness while spewing out hate for illegal immigrants, and stealing taxpayer dollars to build a ridiculous wall, while claiming Mexico would pay for it.

So, union haters, have you received your tax rebate check for what you've paid toward the wall yet? Trump himself was hiring outside people to fill jobs you could have been doing?

Click to expand...

Sigh