--- title: How a failed cannabis workers’ union vote led a Teamster to organize description: International Brotherhood of Teamsters Organizer Amber Angerer joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed how she became a union organizer image: https://awf.labortools.com/hubfs/Teamsters-Featured-Image-Red.jpg --- 1 min read Season 3, Episode 80 # How a failed cannabis workers’ union vote led a Teamster to organize [ awfblog ](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/author/awfblog) April 27, 2022 [America's Work Force Union Podcast](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/americas-work-force-union-podcast) [Teamsters](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/teamsters) ![AWF-Blogo-Logos-Template-400x400_teamsters](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AWF-Blogo-Logos-Template-400x400_teamsters.png?width=400&name=AWF-Blogo-Logos-Template-400x400_teamsters.png)   Guest Name: --- Amber Angerer Guest Website: --- [teamster.org](https://teamster.org/) Guest Social Media: --- [ Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/teamsters) [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/@Teamsters) [ LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-brotherhood-of-teamsters) Supportive Documents: --- International Brotherhood of Teamsters Organizer Amber Angerer joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed how she became a union organizer. Angerer got a job in the legal cannabis industry, but quickly realized the job was not as glamorous as expected. At $14.50 an hour, the wages she earned were barely above minimum wage where she lived in California. Furthermore, the company frequently broke state labor laws regarding break times. One day, Angerer encountered Teamster organizers outside her workplace, and she eventually began working with them to organize the employees. Once the workers filed for an election, the company came down hard on employees, holding captive audience meetings and offering raise incentives to discourage workers from organizing. Ultimately, the vote to organize failed, but the experience inspired Angerer to become a Teamster organizer and help workers organize across the country. Angerer recently helped workers win a union election at Rise cannabis dispensary in Niles, Ill. owned by Green Thumb Industries. She also helped workers schedule a union election in May at another Rise dispensary in Joliet, Ill. Listen to the entire episode to learn more about Angerer’s story: --- America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues. America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers. - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ##### SUBSCRIBE ON: --- [![Group 342](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AmericasWorkForce/podcast%20logos/Apple%20Podcasts%20Button-Dark.png?width=171&name=Apple%20Podcasts%20Button-Dark.png)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast/id1511224946) [![Group 341](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AmericasWorkForce/podcast%20logos/Spotify%20Button-Dark.png?width=100&name=Spotify%20Button-Dark.png)](https://open.spotify.com/show/0GzkHxFSBxiXvuX0lZpQBn) [![Group 343](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20343.png?width=135&name=Group%20343.png)](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast-62567752/) [![Group 339](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20339.png?width=110&name=Group%20339.png)](https://www.pandora.com/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast/PC:47979) [![Group 397](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20397.png?width=125&name=Group%20397.png)](https://americasworkforceradiopodcast.podbean.com/) [![Group 397](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/YouTube_button.png?width=125&name=YouTube_button.png)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuQo1PAtRAel1_tS7-PQOkA)   #### [Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen on the Union Pacific Merger Threat](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/brotherhood-of-railroad-signalmen-on-the-union-pacific-merger-threat) : July 6, 2026 # Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen on the Union Pacific Merger Threat Brandon Elvey, Secretary-Treasurer of the [Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen](https://www.brs.org/),... 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