International Vice President and Director of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union’s Cannabis Division, Ademola Oyefeso, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about their success organizing in the Cannabis industry and the importance of organizing workers in a new industry.
Oyefeso serves as Director of UFCW’s Legislative and Political Action Department and has been involved for nearly 20 years in the legislative areas of the labor movement. He originally started with the Transit Workers Union in New York City. Later, Oyefeso would make the move to the UFCW and take over the Legislative and Political Action Department, as well as the head of the UFCW’s Cannabis Division.
The UFCW has been involved with the Cannabis industry since the early days of legalization in Colorado and California. It’s the goal of the UFCW to ensure all jobs in the industry are high-quality union jobs. Many states where the industry is beginning to grow are fighting to properly classify workers. If the UFCW doesn’t win these fights, there could be several jobs in the industry facing minimum wages and no worker protections, Oyefeso said.
The union difference in a growing industry like Cannabis is obvious. Workers earn upwards of $25 per hour at the retail level, compared to the minimum wage positions at non-union employers. Unlike many industries, there has been less anti-union efforts than with other industries, Oyefeso said. After the initial efforts by employers to undermine unions failed, workers found their voice and shared the positives that unions can provide. Now, even employers have begun seeing the benefits of unions in the workplace, he said.
To hear more from Oyefeso on the UFCW, please press play above!