Michigan Strips Out “Labor Peace Agreements” From Its Cannabis Industry

When crafting permanent rules for the state’s cannabis industry, Michigan regulators proposed a requirement that all state-legal cannabis businesses enter into “labor peace agreements,” in which a business agrees to allow a union to organize its shop. But that language, and several other rules, has been stripped from the final version, which is expected to go into effect this week. 

At a packed and passionate meeting in February, regulators heard comment after comment from people in support of the idea of a labor peace agreement—a contract between an employer, in this case, a cannabis business, and a labor union, in which the business allows the union to organize the workplace. But later, when written comments flooded in, the majority of commenters voiced strong opposition to requirement. The written comments, it seems, won the day.