Labor

A strong majority of licensed truck drivers in the U.S. say that federal marijuana laws need to change, and most say that current cannabis testing policies for drivers are steering people away from the transportation sector amid a driver shortage, according to a new report. With an estimated 65,000-driver deficit in the country, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) carried out an analysis of driver marijuana testing policies that also included revealing survey data from drivers who say that the… Read more.

A new front in the conflict between cannabis businesses and labor unions is forming as the cannabis industry keeps growing and gaining legal recognition in more states. A surge of labor-management disputes within the developing business is being heralded by recent triumphs for cannabis unions in achieving collective bargaining rights and better working conditions. These developments give light on how the cannabis industry is changing and how a complicated relationship between employers, workers, and organized labor is emerging as a result of… Read more.

The Michigan Civil Service Commission earlier this month proposed a rule change that would drop pre-employment drug testing for cannabis. The proposal would not change the requirements for safety-sensitive jobs, such as state police or commercial vehicle drivers.   “If approved, they would not impact current testing Adult-use cannabis has been legal in Michigan since 2018. The rules requiring cannabis testing as a pre-employment requirement in Michigan were implemented in 1998, according to an official communication from State Personnel Director John Gnodtke. The… Read more.

According to a recent analysis, the year 2022 witnessed the highest level of positive marijuana urine tests after workplace accidents in 25 years. According to an analysis by Quest Diagnostics released last Thursday, the percentage of the general U.S. workforce who tested positive for marijuana in their urine after having an accident at work rose to 7.3% in 2017. It was 6.7% in 2021, a tad less.  Remember, these are only tests done after a worker had an accident, if you didn't have… Read more.

Organized labor in the marijuana industry continues to achieve significant wage increases, as evidenced by the recent development of five PharmaCann adult-use cannabis dispensaries in Chicago. The unionized workers at these dispensaries have successfully negotiated a substantial 20% wage hike over three years. The recent wage increase is another noteworthy victory for organized labor, as it adds to the mounting pressure unions place on major cannabis industry operators throughout the country. According to Crain's Chicago Business, PharmaCann's Verilife dispensaries witnessed a significant development last… Read more.

Cannabis companies operate in a highly competitive and rapidly changing environment, and labor disputes can have a significant impact on business operations, leading to lost revenue, reputational damage and even regulatory sanctions. Labor peace agreements establish a period when a workers’ union agrees not to strike, picket or otherwise disrupt an employer’s business operations, and the employer agrees not to engage in any actions that would undermine the union’s ability to organize the workforce. Such agreements can help to promote stability,… Read more.

Some companies to slow their hiring strategies. Legalization of recreational cannabis in Missouri led to a surge in job growth within the industry, but the trend could be slowing as labor needs are met. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the number of active licenses to work in the sector catapulted from 9,800 in October to more than 14,000 in March, after voters approved recreational marijuana use through a constitutional amendment last November. While the rapid expansion has boosted the state’s economy,… Read more.