Measure 119 would make it easier for workers in the cannabis industry to join unions. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Oregon voters appear to be passing Measure 119, which would make it easier for workers in the cannabis industry to organize.
In early results, nearly 58% of voters supported Measure 119 compared with 42% who voted against.
Measure 119, one of two citizen initiatives on the ballot, aims to pave the way for workers in the cannabis industry to join unions by requiring employers to pledge not to interfere with union activity when renewing their licenses or applying for a new one.
The measure stems from a failed bill in the Legislature that sparked a recall campaign against a longtime Democratic state representative from Eugene, Paul Holvey. As chair of the business and labor committee, he helped kill a 2023 bill backed by Oregon’s largest private sector union to ease the rights of cannabis workers to organize because legislative counsel said that essentially it was illegal.
Holvey easily survived the recall attempt, but the union behind the bill, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, poured $2.4 million into getting the measure on the ballot.
Though Oregon law does not prevent cannabis workers from unionizing, workers say the measure is needed because their industry is in a gray zone: The federal government, which protects workers’ labor rights, has classified cannabis as a controlled substance. Opponents, however, say the measure would increase prices and costs in the industry.
Measure 119 would apply to any cannabis company that requires a license, including growers, retailers, processors and labs. In applying for or renewing a license, the employer would have to show the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission, which regulates the industry, that they had signed a neutrality agreement with a union. These agreements are signed between a company and a union that represents or is trying to represent its workers. A “labor peace agreement” shows a company has promised to remain neutral when unions discuss bargaining rights with workers.
A company that didn’t sign a labor peace agreement could lose its license under Measure 119. If the agreement were terminated for any reason, the business would have to notify the commission within 10 business days and sign a new one with a union within 30 days of the termination. If the business didn’t submit a new agreement, the commission could fine the business up to $4,950 and suspend or revoke its license.
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