Workers at a cannabis dispensary in Aberdeen voted to unionize on Wednesday, becoming the first cannabis workers in Maryland to join the Teamsters, which is the largest union in the United States.
Budtenders — the people who help customers choose their products — and shift leaders at Ascend Cannabis voted “overwhelmingly” to join the Teamsters Local 570, according to a press release.
Ascend Cannabis is a New York City-based company with retail dispensaries in seven states on the East Coast and six cultivation and processing facilities. Its Maryland locations are in Ellicott City, Aberdeen, Crofton and Laurel.
Workers at the Aberdeen location of Ascend filed to unionize in April, but they were not voluntarily recognized by the company, triggering a vote. Now the workers must wait for the National Labor Relations Board to certify the election results, after which they could begin collective bargaining and eventually secure a contract.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Teamsters would assist Ascend’s union organizers with the bargaining process, and employees hope a contract would address wages, minimum hours, shift scheduling and workplace safety, said Sean Cedenio, secretary-treasurer of Local 570.
Ascend dispensary employees in Aberdeen are the first cannabis workers in Maryland to join the Teamsters. (Courtesy
