Ayr Wellness Dispensary in Las Vegas Joins Growing Trend of Cannabis Unionization

LAS VEGAS — Workers at a Las Vegas cannabis store, known as The Dispensary and operating under the Ayr Wellness brand, have elected to unionize with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 711. This move represents a continuing trend of unionization within the cannabis sector across the nation.

This specific Ayr Wellness location becomes the company’s second establishment where workers have chosen to align themselves with the UFCW.

Alberto Villalobos, an employee of Ayr, expressed his sentiments on the decision, stating, “I’m extremely proud of the collective effort my colleagues and I invested to ensure our voices resonate. Our aim is to propel the cannabis sector in a positive trajectory. Our next step is to secure a robust union contract that justly acknowledges our hard work and values the daily contributions we make to the prosperity of the store.”

Nationally, unions such as UFCW and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters have been actively pursuing the inclusion of as many cannabis industry professionals as possible in established marijuana markets. Their strategies have been assertive, especially when interacting with expansive multistate operators.

This year has already seen a couple of strikes within the cannabis industry, specifically in Arizona and Illinois. Alongside these, unions have lodged multiple complaints regarding unfair labor practices with federal agencies during discussions with several multistate cannabis enterprises, naming the likes of Curaleaf, Green Thumb Industries, and Trulieve.