Montclair Budtenders First to Join CEED
Jeff Tabankin, budtender and CEED Local 420 shop steward at the Ascend Montclair Dispensary during contract ratification
The oldest union in the United States, The International Union of Journeymen of Allied Trades chartered Cannabis Engineers Extractors & Distributors (CEED) Local 420, a year and half ago to focus solely on representing cannabis workers. Workers at Ascend Montclair Dispensary are the first budtenders in New Jersey to join CEED.
“With the rapidly changing and growing market, CEED can specialize in just cannabis and focus on those employees,” said Busines Agent Connor Shaw.
Jeffrey Tabankin is a budtender at the Ascend Montclair Dispensary and CEED Local 420 shop steward. Before moving to New Jersey, he worked for two years in Massachusetts’ expansive, but non-union, recreational marijuana industry. After moving to Ascend, Jeffrey learned about the benefits of unionizing with CEED and started the relatively quick process to unionize and ratify the contract for the employees at Ascend.
“Before we joined CEED, we were only considered at-will employees and had relatively few workplace protections. This labor contract and the union is providing us with critical workplace protections, annual raises, a far better health and benefits plan for the first time,” Tabankin said. “The contract and representation will help us and our families afford the rising costs of doctor visits, hospital care and prescriptions.”
In November 2020, New Jersey voters approved recreational cannabis, and unions have a role in setting industry standards for workers moving forward. Councilman Bob Russo said he commends Ascend for going union.
“Employees will perform much better when having union representation,” he said. “All cannabis industries and businesses should allow and even encourage union organizing and representation of their employees, unlike companies like Amazon, which tries to prevent unionization.”
