File this in the “what the …?” category. Forty of the Teamsters newest members belong to the fledgling business of marijuana growers. Although marijuana dispensaries have been allowed to operate for medical purposes in California, federal law technically still prohibits the cultivation of the plant. If the government decided to crack down, there are concerns as to how Teamsters would protect the rights of members whose work constitutes a federal crime. Beyond that, there is a chance that the workers would be classified as farm workers, and as such would fall outside the jurisdiction of the NLRB. Leave it to the Teamsters to not be deterred by a few legal technicalities. No word yet on using this success as a springboard to organize workers at Taco Bell and Doritos, but we’ll keep you posted.
