Sacramento, CA – Today, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Western States Council celebrated Governor Gavin Newsom’s signature on AB 2188 (Quirk), which will prohibit employers from discriminating against employees who use cannabis off the job and away from the worksite by banning out-dated cannabis urine testing methods. The following statement may be attributed to Jim Araby, Director of Strategic Campaigns, UFCW Local 5:
“Governor Newsom’s signature on AB 2188 is a victory for all workers, made possible by UFCW members who pushed this bill forward to end discrimination over off-the-job cannabis use. Because we fought to end outdated testing as a measure of ability to work, California will resume our lead as the gold standard in our nation on protections for the cannabis industry and its workers. No employee deserves to feel stigmatized and unsafe at work because of an outdated testing method. There are much more accurate, modern-day cannabis testing methods, like oral swabs, that are able to detect recent use and increase workplace safety. This victory shows when workers stand together for what’s right, we win.”
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 18, 2022
Contact: Jenna Thompson, 949.246.1620, [email protected]