Indeed Brewing union could be sign of things to come as cannabis law kicks in

April 23, 2024 by

Indeed Brewing has a union label.

Workers at the taproom and production facility in northeast Minneapolis successfully formed a union last month after over two years of organizing with the Twin Cities hospitality union, UNITE HERE Local 17.

The new bargaining unit brings together 31 workers, an overwhelming majority of whom not only signed union cards, but added their mugshots to a photo petition that organizers delivered to brewery management April 1.

Ten days later, Indeed formally agreed to recognize the union.

Indeed is the second craft brewery in the Twin Cities where workers have formed a union. Fair State Brewing Cooperative granted its workers’ request for representation by Local 17 in 2020, and they settled a first contract in August 2021. The union also represents workers at Brother Justus distillery.

More organizing gains could be ahead for craft beverage workers, thanks to a pro-worker provision in Minnesota’s new cannabis law, passed by DFL lawmakers last year. It includes a labor peace requirement for companies seeking a license to produce cannabis or THC products – like the seltzers that have popped up in so many local taprooms, including Indeed’s, in recent years.

Local 17 organizer Anders Bloomquist, a former Fair State worker, said craft beverage makers that want to continue making their own products with THC will likely need to work with unions like UNITE HERE to prove that they meet the licensing requirement.

“We are anticipating that a fairly large number of employers who are producing THC beverages will be signing labor peace agreements to get their licensing,” Bloomquist said. “This will be a process that we’re excited for – to have those labor peace agreements and begin talking with the workers there about why they might want to join a union.

“We’re ready to help anyone in this industry who decides it’s time to make a real change.”

The victory at Indeed is the latest in a string of successful organizing campaigns for Local 17. Workers at seven Twin Cities venues operated by First Avenue formed a union last November, and workers in the Macalester College dining facility joined UNITE HERE in April.

“When workers see other workers stand up and make a real change in their life, it tells them it’s possible to make a change in their lives too,” Bloomquist said. “Lots of workers are deciding it’s time for something different.”

Indeed Brewing is located at 711 15th Ave. NE in Minneapolis. The venue offers a tap room, to-go sales, event spaces and an outdoor patio.

See a full list of union bars, restaurants, clubs, hotels and craft beverage spots at uniteherelocal17.org.

Filed Under: Organizing Tagged With: , , ,

Both of Minnesota’s medical cannabis companies now unionized

April 20, 2023 by

Workers at Green Thumb Industries/RISE Dispensaries formed a union last month, becoming the second group of medical cannabis workers in Minnesota to join Local 1189 of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).

The union became official March 30, when a majority of employees signed cards authorizing Local 1189 as their representative in a so-called “card-check election.”

“The overwhelming majority of medical cannabis workers in Minnesota are now unionized at both existing medical cannabis companies,” Local 1189 said in a press release.

“This will lead to higher standards for all cannabis workers in Minnesota, and UFCW 1189 remains committed to fighting for good jobs in the cannabis industry, access to quality products for patients and an end to cannabis prohibition in Minnesota.”

The new bargaining unit includes dispensary, harvest, production, pharmacy and laboratory workers at Green Thumb Industries (GTI), which operates RISE medical cannabis dispensaries in St. Paul, Eagan, St. Cloud, Willmar, Mankato, Hibbing and New Hope.

Local 1189 has represented workers at Vireo Health, which operates Green Goods dispensaries, since the company was founded in 2015.

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Medical cannabis workers ‘insulted’ by MN grower’s contract offer

July 9, 2021 by

When Vireo Health needed help lobbying state lawmakers to expand Minnesota’s medical cannabis program, employees and their union stepped up, helping push the measure across the finish line in May.

Unfortunately, that spirit of cooperation has not extended to the bargaining table this summer.

Workers at Vireo Health’s Otsego growing facility and eight Green Goods cannabis patient centers across the state voted unanimously to reject the employer’s “last, best and final” contract proposal in June, a month after their previous agreement expired.

The unanimous vote by members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1189 came despite a charm campaign led by Vireo’s CEO, who traveled across the state to meet with workers in person and urge them to vote “yes” on a contract that would eliminate annual wage progressions, among other takebacks.

Greenhouse worker Nate Noel called the company’s contract offer “insulting,” particularly in light of the union’s contribution to the successful lobbying push, which will allow Vireo Health and other manufacturers to introduce cannabis flower to its available treatments.

“They got what they wanted, and now they’re backtracking,” Noel said. “And it’s really disheartening that our efforts are being diminished while the fruits of our labor are going to be more publicly visible once we start selling flower.”

At the same time, Vireo Health stands to be much more profitable. In a recent promotional release, the company cited “growth catalysts driven by changing regulatory frameworks,” among other factors, in projecting revenue of up to $180 million in the coming fiscal year. That’s more than double the previous year’s amount.

Local 1189 members say Vireo’s contract demands would cut them – and, more drastically, the company’s future hires – out of those gains. The proposal would replace annual wage progressions, also known as “steps,” with across-the-board raises, and it would implement lower wage scales for new hires.

“They are trying to transition our work to more of a dead-end job with no opportunity for growth, and it’s not being received well,” Noel said. “How often do 55 people completely agree that something is a terrible offer?”

[Sign a petition in support of Vireo Health and Green Goods workers here.]

Adding to workers’ frustrations, management at Green Goods patient centers made a unilateral decision recently to retrofit workstations originally designed for use while sitting, forcing workers to stand for the entirety of their shifts.

“They want to create more of a retail environment,” Local 1189 organizer Claire Van den Berghe said, noting that cannabis patient centers are legally classified as health care facilities. “I’ve been to every one of the patient care centers, and they are not as busy as your usual retail store.”

Workers who accepted jobs with the understanding they would be able to sit most of the workday are now being forced to adjust – or pay for a consultation with a doctor in the hopes of forcing Vireo to make accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Van den Berghe said.

“People are really upset about their desks being taken away.”

Noel, the fifth employee hired by the company – formerly Minnesota Medical Solutions – after its founding in 2014, said employees are determined to take a stand for good wages and a voice on the job now, while the industry is still in its relative infancy. Noel noted that he already has reached the top pay scale, meaning the company’s effort to replace wage progressions from the contract would have no impact on him.

“The company has been growing and expanding, and we feel like the workers have been left behind,” Noel said. “We all feel fortunate to do what we do. A big part of our interest is a good deal for the people that will someday replace us at work as we move on or retire.”

Local 1189 has filed charges of unfair labor practices against the company. Workers’ plans to picket facilities in late June were called off after management agreed to additional talks, scheduled to resume later this month.

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Medical cannabis workers’ new contract reflects industry growth

January 17, 2017 by

ufcw1189merge2smallWorkers at Minnesota Medical Solutions, one of two companies authorized by the state to produce medical cannabis, voted unanimously Jan. 12 to ratify a new union contract that reflects – and anticipates – growth in the industry.

The three-year pact includes annual wage increases, provides premium pay for lead positions and time spent training other workers, and expands the unit’s wage scale to provide more entry-level opportunities. Workers also won more holidays and paid time off, reimbursements for mileage and travel time, and affordable health-insurance coverage.

“We are proud and appreciate being able to provide exceptional medical cannabis to our patients in Minnesota,” union steward Nathan Noel said.

The new contract currently covers 11 members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1189, who work as pharmacy technicians, growers, packagers and security receptionists. The bargaining unit has grown since Local 1189 organized the company’s three workers (and negotiated a first contract) in February 2015, and it will expand soon to include two more workers, Local 1189 President Jennifer Christensen said.

“What is really important is the employer’s commitment to full-time, living-wage, union jobs,” Christensen said. “Part-time jobs do exist, but as business expands and hours become available, those jobs are transformed into full-time.

“Minnesota Medical Solutions is leading the way nationally, and it shows in the quality of products and services that our members provide for the people of Minnesota.”

Filed Under: Organizing, Union Events Tagged With: , , , ,

Bernie Hesse: Politicians, bad laws can’t stop workers from organizing

March 26, 2015 by
Bernie Hesse

Bernie Hesse

Our union, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1189, organized a new group of workers in Luck, Wis., the day Gov. Scott Walker signed a Right to Work for Less bill. The workers at Pioneer Care Center, a nursing home in Luck, voted overwhelmingly for a union. The worker win was the bright spot on a day when the labor haters, with the swipe of a pen, further suppressed worker rights in Wisconsin.

In Luck, a group of workers decided that they needed a voice at work and built a strong committee. They fought back against management’s attempts to derail the organizing drive. The union election wasn’t about money, but rather respect on the job, along with working conditions, including better care for the nursing home’s residents.

The UFCW isn’t going to be stopped by RTW or any other attempts to suppress workers’ rights. We have organized the first group of medical cannabis workers in Minnesota, and we are ready to organize the second facility when the opportunity arises. We believe the emerging medical cannabis industry will provide a safe, secure source for patients along with jobs for thousands of workers in the industry. We intend to support the industry with training and legislative advocacy, in addition to ensuring workers’ ability to have a voice at work.

UFCW Local 1189 is part of a coalition working to advance an industrial hemp bill at the Legislature this year, and we see a real opportunity from the Federal Farm Bill of 2014 to set the table for hemp as a new agricultural commodity that can be used as food, fiber or fuel. Minnesota led the nation during World War II in industrial hemp production, and we intend to support the research necessary for the industry to thrive. Currently, hemp is imported from Canada and China. We believe we could create a vertical system of production and processing, perhaps creating a co-op system, which would be worker owned and organized. We also believe that worker-owned systems should be explored as an alternative to the usual owner-driven model. We live in an economic system that could be called the Golden Rules – if you have the gold, you get to make the rules. We will explore how to change that game.

The Twin Cities has many grocery options for consumers. Many grocery stores are union-organized, and we are proud of what we have built up over the years. But we need to put together programs to expand. We are currently meeting with groups of co-op workers at the Wedge, and hope to get to a point where we can achieve recognition. We believe that we can create a co-op worker movement which will allow the co-ops to grow and set standards for several thousand workers in the area.

Finally, it is the mission of our union to organize internally each day. Building solidarity in a worksite is a slow process. Building solidarity is about relationships. It isn’t transactional, but based on human values of support, respect and fairness. We know that solidarity, especially in tough times, works.

– Bernie Hesse is director of special projects, legislative and political action for UFCW Local 1189, based in St. Paul and Duluth. He is also a delegate to the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO.

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Union sees growth potential in state’s medical cannabis industry

February 20, 2015 by

ufcw1189merge2smallWorkers at Minnesota Medical Solutions, one of two firms authorized by state regulators to manufacture and dispense medical cannabis, announced today they have unionized and ratified their first contract, all in the last week.

The state’s Bureau of Mediation Services on Tuesday authorized Local 1189 of the United Food and Commercial Workers – a St. Paul- and Duluth-based union representing workers in retail, health care and manufacturing – as the representative of Minnesota Medical Solutions’ eligible full- and part-time workers.

The union announced workers’ vote to ratify their new contract in a press release today.

The Minnesota Department of Health will begin enrolling patients with qualified medical conditions – outlined in legislation passed last year – into the medical cannabis registry program this spring. Registered patients may be able to purchase medical cannabis at eight distribution facilities across the state as early as July.

Bernie Hesse, Local 1189’s director of special projects, sees potential for growth for the medical cannabis industry in Minnesota. The UFCW, which represents thousands of medical cannabis workers in seven states and the District of Columbia, projects the industry will create one job for every 10 patients.

The Minnesota Medical Solutions bargaining unit “is a handful of workers to start,” Hesse said. “But it will grow.”

Meanwhile, Hesse said, Local 1189’s efforts to organize workers at the other licensed cannabis producer, Cottage Grove-based LeafLine Labs, continue.

Filed Under: Organizing Tagged With: , , , , ,