Testimony supporting HB371

Massachusetts Jobs with Justice is a coalition of community, faith, and labor groups in Massachusetts organizing working people and allies to fight for the rights of all workers: locally, nationally, and internationally.

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General Court assembled,

My name is Lily Huang, and I’m representing Massachusetts Jobs with Justice. We are a coalition of unions, community groups, faith groups, and student groups and our mission is to defend working people’s standard of living, fight for job security, protect our right to organize and support contract campaigns and strikes. We have offices in Boston and Springfield MA and staff, leaders, and volunteers across several gateway cities of Massachusetts, including the lower Pioneer Valley, Worcester, Lawrence, and Boston. We support the passing of SB 69/HB 371.

In Massachusetts, people across a wide spectrum of industries are members of unions. Grocery employees, hotel staff, construction workers, electricians, and many more. These workers are from industries that have been established for decades, and they have had time to fight for union protections. The cannabis industry is relatively new, but this does not mean that they deserve unequal organizing rights compared to other laborers. 

This past August, it was revealed that the cannabis industry has produced almost $2 billion in gross revenue. However, cannabis corporations have been fined hundreds of thousands of dollars for non-compliance with wage and labor laws. These companies clearly have the ability to compensate their employees, and if their employees were granted the ability to unionize, they would better be able to fight against these unfair practices.

SB 69/HB 371 would ensure that cannabis workers are allowed the same rights to organize as their fellow workers. They deserve to be able to choose how they want to be represented in the workplace, the same as any other worker. Thank you.

In solidarity,
Lily Huang, Co-Executive Director

Massachusetts Jobs with Justice