In November, the BC Government mandated 5 days of paid sick leave per year starting January 1, 2022. To provide clarity about the paid sick leave program, we have collected responses to some of the recurring questions asked by our members. Q: Do the 5 paid sick days apply to casual and temporary employees or do they only apply to full-time employees? The 5 paid sick days apply to ...read more 

The BC Budtender Union is growing as workers at Seed & Stone Cannabis and the Original Farm voted recently to join UFCW 1518. With the two new workplaces, the BC Budtender Union, a division of UFCW 1518, now represents budtenders and cannabis growers at several locations in British Columbia. UFCW 1518 has organized workers at Clarity Cannabis, Victoria Cannabis Buyers’ Club (VCBC), Burnside Buds, and Trees Cannabis. Cannabis growing ...read more 

A Budtender in Victoria will be going back to work on Friday after he was fired three weeks ago. Niko Kruzel works as a Budtender at Burnside Buds, a cannabis dispensary located in Victoria, BC. After months of dealing with issues regarding scheduling, inconsistent and low pay, and lack of health benefits, Kruzel and fellow Budtenders decided to contact a union organizer for the BC Budtender Union, a cannabis-focused ...read more 

BC Labour Minister Harry Bains announced today that all workers in BC will have five paid sick days. This is a historic moment in the province’s history. The program will begin on January 1, 2022, and will be employer-funded. Today’s announcement improves upon the government’s temporary plan providing three days of COVID-related paid leave. The new, permanent plan provides five paid days beginning January 1 that can be taken ...read more 

The BC Budtenders Union grew larger today as workers at Burnside Buds voted to join UFCW 1518. Burnside Buds has been serving cannabis in the Victoria area for several years and is known for its excellent service and high-quality prices. Workers at Burnside Buds reached out to UFCW 1518 seeking more respect and better working conditions. Over the next few months, the union and workers will begin negotiating with ...read more