Unique among states legalizing cannabis, New Jersey’s law requires companies to negotiate in good faith if their employees want union representation, and gives applicants for licenses a leg up on competitors if they have, or will have, a contract in place.

To Rep. Donald Norcross, a former union business agent, that could make the state’s cannabis industry an attractive place for a long-term career rather than create a high-turnover, low-wage business.

“We know the industry is making billions of dollars,” Norcross, D-1st Dist., told NJ Cannabis Insider. “We just want them to bring those benefits to the workers of New Jersey.”

Norcross said former state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, played a major role in making sure that the new cannabis industry would be hospitable to organized labor. (Sweeney was a political ally of Norcross’ brother, South Jersey powerbroker George Norcross.)

“That had very much to do with those who understand how important a job is,” Norcross said. “The best social program is a good job.”

At a recent forum, Norcross, Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., union leaders and cannabis employees touted the benefits of being unionized.

“We’re seeing all these new industries, where it’s really exciting that we’re having the ability to organize,” said Pocan, who has worked with Norcross to look at labor’s future.

“This means thousands more to average workers in pay and benefits and worker security that you get by having an organized workforce.”

Workers like Alexis Fastow, a supervisor at Garden State Dispensary and a shop steward, agree.

“As someone who wants to make a career out of this industry, it’s really hard to do that when you’re being paid the same amount as someone who doesn’t have a high school degree,” she said.

Alexandra Verello, a cultivator at Garden State Dispensary with a degree in medicinal botany holds the same sentiment.

“We want to be here with you,” she said of her industry. “We want to cultivate this. We want to work with you. We want to be passionate about it. We want to infuse our love and passion into the product. It’s hard to do that when we struggle to feel safe or be treated fairly in the workplace.”

Hugh Giordano, director of organizing for Local 360 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, said the union was working to organize cannabis employees. Local 360 represents a large number of New Jersey cultivation and dispensary workers.

“All those pretty buds that you see in the pictures don’t come out of nowhere,” he said. “They come from hard work and hard labor.”

“It’s my job to go out there and make sure that these hard-working people know their rights, know that they have the right to form and join a union, and that we all have their back.”