On Wednesday, May 12, Union Representative Hugh Giordano was the only person to publicly speak against Surf City and Barnegat Light’s ordinances to ban all cannabis business.

His plea was later reported by The Sandpaper, a newsmagazine of Long Beach Island and Southern Ocean County:

A United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 152 representative from Blackwood was the only individual to comment during public hearings May 12 on Surf City’s and Barnegat Light’s ordinances prohibiting all classes of businesses related to cannabis. […]

“I am just asking you to be open to medical cannabis,” Hugh Giordano said in addressing the Surf City Borough Council May 12, adding it is used by many people suffering from debilitating conditions and diseases.

Many of those people, he said, visit shore communities for the beach’s healing nature.

“When people come here, they bring good money (to spend),” he said, noting cannabis-related businesses also create good paying jobs for qualified workers, and money is returned to the local economy by business owners and workers.

Giordano asked the Surf City Council to table a vote on the measure and cited the city of Bayonne’s ordinance, which allows for medical cannabis businesses, as a good example of a municipality regulating a specialized marijuana-based establishment.

Read the full article on TheSandpaper.net.

Unfortunately, despite Mr. Giordano’s attempt to reason with the council, the ordinances were passed. Despite this undesirable outcome, Local 152 will not stop attending meetings to attempt to end the stigma on cannabis and hopefully encourage job creation in this new business.

Commitment

UFCW Local 152 is not new to fighting on behalf of the cannabis industry up and down the Garden State.

On a national level, the United Food and Commercial Workers represent workers in both medical and recreational cannabis-related industries. UFCW Local 152 is committed to standing with cannabis workers in our area to not only create good jobs, but also represent them so that their employers pay good wages, good benefits, and fair treatment in a safe work environment. Discover more about the Cannabis Campaign in our area and our efforts to support workers in the industry.

If you work in the Cannabis industry and want to join UFCW Local 152, please contact us via our Union Interest form.