In two states, the ongoing cannabis worker strike is the longest in industry history

Now, a separate strike against cannabis businesses in two states is now the longest job shutdown in the country’s $32 billion legal cannabis industry’s history.

Observers say that as actors in both cases prompted the Trump administration to step in, the overall conditions of the cannabis industry and the larger U.S. economy show that even though workers in some markets have worsened, more turmoil will occur.

These two strikes are:

• The exclusive brand based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is a vertically integrated operator that only starts in the state on August 28.
• Starting September 1, the rise of the profitable cannabis Green Thumb Industry (GTI) in York, Pennsylvania.

An incongruous coincidence, while a stop-off coincidence – which has been more than a week longer than the 13-day strike in April 2023 – is very different.

A small group of exclusive brand workers said the strike was partly due to management’s refusal to recognize the union election, and the rising union workers voted to strike after more than a year of contract negotiations.

“The former focuses on educating the public and attracting media attention, while the latter is interrupting business as a leverage for negotiations,” said Maggie Gray, a political science professor at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York, who published on labor issues.

“So, these tools have different goals,” she added.

“Their common ground is that the cannabis market is saturated.”

Cannabis industry strikes, cannabis industry struggle

The recent struggle of the cannabis industry was once seen as the best growth opportunity for organized Labour in decades, suggesting that the profit or resources of management and workers struggled are smaller.

At the same time, the relatively tight labor market and the cost of housing, groceries and other commodities continues to rise steadily, meaning workers may incite higher wages or may seek other jobs if pay is not kept tracked, observers say.

In the case of Pennsylvania, most marijuana operators consider strikes an ideal condition for profitability: a limited license market.

These strikes will also occur during the relatively stagnation period after a series of organizational activities under Biden’s drug delivery.

In several states, marijuana workers have voted to cancel unions after organizational efforts failed to generate better salaries and conditions.

Critics say this is partly because cannabis companies have successfully suppressed unions using strategies adopted by other departments.

The return of President Donald Trump and his firm pro-business agenda means more employers may feel the courage to oppose organizational efforts – and use the pro-business National Labor Relations Commission to rewrite the rules of the Biden-era rule.

The first marijuana workers in the Trump era strike after Biden wins

This is what the Alliance sympathizers call it happening in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

There, four exclusive brand employees organized by United Food and Commercial workers went on strike on August 28, according to the union.

“It’s ironic that the company claims to represent social fairness but denies that to its own workers.”

However, the vast majority are still working. The company’s public claims are still running over 200, although in federal documents, the total labor force for exclusive claims is 125.

The exclusive brand did not respond to a request for comment before its release.

In York, Pennsylvania, the union agreed to stop working on Sept. 1 after company officials refused to resume contract negotiations.

He said all eight of the coalition workers were on strike last summer.

As of Wednesday, the two strikes were still ongoing.

Businesses remain open.

In a statement mjbizdailyA GTI spokesman said the company’s “last, best and final offer includes meaningful wage increases and comprehensive benefits” and is based on “market analysis” of the healthcare industry in Pennsylvania only.

CICAK said workers there start at $16 an hour and up to $17.65.

He said they hoped a minimum hourly wage of $18, which is exactly what the striking green thumb workers in the Chicago area followed a 13-day strike in April 2023.

Two cannabis worker strikes in two very different cannabis markets

These two strikes emerged in two very different business environments.

Michigan’s relatively mature adult marijuana industry has no license cap.

Competition and market saturation mean that while annual sales are expected to reach $3.89 billion in 2025, other operators will still withdraw.

By comparison, Pennsylvania’s strong market of $1.7 billion per year remains medical. Once lawmakers legalize marijuana for adult use, this is considered a major source of potential growth in the legal industry.

Meanwhile, the state’s limit on the number of permits allowed is the operating conditions that MSO determines as ideal in regulatory documents.

Calling the Trump administration in revelation of public deals

As mjbizdaily The exclusive brand reportedly recently called on the National Labor and Industrial Relations Commission to declare the business illegal.

Hopefully, the NLRB will find that the federal marijuana ban means that federal labor laws are not applicable and that workers can be fired in pursuit of unions, otherwise a legally protected activity.

Meanwhile, team workers filed a complaint with NLRB on August 28, claiming that GTI refused to bargain in order to violate the Federal National Labor Relations Act.

It is not clear when the NLRB situation might be considered – or any decision can be legally possible.

The Trump administration still needs to make appointments to NLRB before it runs.

Meanwhile, York workers are ready to “take it away”.

He added that this is partly because they know exactly how the publicly traded green thumb industry is performing.

In recent filings, the company reported annual revenue of more than $1 billion.

Despite a small loss in the second quarter of 2025, the green thumb is usually profitable.

CICAK said it was information that workers shared with Rise customers who crossed the picket until the GTI returned with a better contract offer that they would have.

“This group is a smart group. They understand the cannabis industry,” he said.

“They know the cannabis industry is growing.” GTI’s profits “have to drip into the people who make these dispensaries work.”

As the industry matures, cannabis capital interests change?

Observers say delaying negotiations makes pro-workers lose interest or transfer other jobs is an ancient management strategy that cannabis companies are willing to use.

But unions may also have to adapt their strategies to fit the real reality of the cannabis industry, said Sarah Stith, a professor of economics at the University of New Mexico, who examines the impact of marijuana legalization on employment.

“The vast majority (cannabis workers) are low-skilled workers,” she said. “They can work in Starbucks or in a pharmacy.”

She said low-skilled workers are easier to replace and have less bargaining leverage.

Saturated markets such as Michigan may have more cannabis operations than they have been supported.

“The ability to withdraw rent from these pharmacies may not be worth the cost of organizing a union,” she added.

Chris Roberts can be contacted at chris.roberts@mjbizdaily.com.