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Tim Nelson

Union label: Minnesota medical marijuana workers organize

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Medical cannabis worker may be a new job in Minnesota, but the industry already has a union.

Minnesota's United Food and Commercial Workers chapter says it has organized workers at one of the state's two medical cannabis production facilities.

It's small at the moment. There are only a handful of employees at Minnesota Medical Solutions, the first facility expected to be up and running, said Bernie Hesse, organizer at the South St. Paul-based UFCW Local 1189.

"The UFCW has been working on this in multiple states," Hesse said. "We see a real potential for development, and I'll be using the word growth a lot, which people giggle about, but a lot of growth in this industry."

Given the experience in other states, the UFCW estimates that eventually there will be about one job for every 10 patients that use medical cannabis. That includes workers in the grow operations, extractions, packaging, distribution and dispensing.

The jobs appear to pay pretty well.

The Minnesota Medical Solutions contract (pdf) pay grid calls for the "head cultivator" to earn $2,200 a week this year. Pharmacy, horticultural and laboratory technicians will make $22 an hour. Custodians will make $18 an hour.

The contract also says workers will be required to wear "standard uniforms" supplied by the company at no cost, although it doesn't describe the uniforms.

The Minnesota Department of Health initially estimated there may be 5,000 patients that may be certified as eligible for the drug and pursue purchases from one of two state-sanctioned suppliers. Hesse said the union believes the patient population could grow to as many as 15,000.

The state has already authorized medical cannabis for Minnesotans certified to be suffering from a list of nine different conditions. The legislation also includes a provision for the health officials to add other conditions, including so-called "intractable pain" that can't be treated by other means.

The state selected two suppliers, Minnesota Medical Solutions and LeafLine Labs to produce and provide the drug.

Minnesota Medical Solutions has already built a greenhouse in Otsego and LeafLine is building a facility in Cottage Grove. The company broke ground in December. Each is expected to set up four dispensaries around the state to start providing the drug to Minnesotans this summer. July 1 is the first day medical cannabis can be dispensed in Minnesota.

Hesse said his union is also talking to LeafLine about organizing their staff. The UFCW in Minnesota already represents grocery store workers, meat packers and care givers at 53 nursing homes.