Workers at Cannabis Software Firm Dutchie File for Landmark Union Election

[PRESS RELEASE] – BOSTON, Aug. 8, 2025 – Product support agents and analysts from cannabis software company Dutchie filed to form a union with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1445. Dutchie, a cannabis software tech company founded in 2017, provides business software to more than 6,500 dispensaries across the country and is responsible for 1 million transactions daily. 

As product support agents and analysts, these workers assist consumers and cannabis businesses with technical support and represent Dutchie for thousands of clients. Their labor makes it possible for the platforms that cannabis employers use to be efficient, accessible and successful in providing safe and compliant cannabis to the public.

Thelonius “Theo” Spence, a Tier 2 product support analyst and organizing committee member, said:

“In the five years that I’ve worked in Dutchie Support, I’ve survived round after round of layoffs and seen countless talented and hard-working people lose their jobs or burn out and leave. We shouldn’t have to leave to find greener pastures. We want job security and clear expectations at the company we helped build. 

“Compensation among our team is wildly inconsistent with our tenure and performance, and raises haven’t kept up with the cost of living. The implementation of an outsourced overseas team, AI tools, and metrics-based micromanagement make us feel like our days are numbered. 

“Especially in this political climate, the time for us to band together is now—both to push back against the constant changes that we are subjected to at work, and to contribute to building a larger movement of solidarity among working people.” 

Michael Guarino, a Tier 2 product support analyst and organizing committee member, said:

“My passion for technology and the benefits that cannabis can provide are what brought me to Dutchie. Our industry is all about promoting a healthier well-being, and it is time that we ensure that value is being upheld and preserved at Dutchie. I shouldn’t have to sacrifice maintaining my work-life balance or mental health in exchange for being a high-performing worker. 

“I hope through this process we can improve our working conditions, ensure fair pay among our team, secure our jobs for the future, and improve time off policies, which will ensure we can recharge so we can support our customers to the very best of our abilities.”

As America’s largest cannabis union, the UFCW has spent over a decade in this emerging industry, advocating for workers and fighting to establish critical labor protections to ensure that, as the industry grows, cannabis industry jobs are safe, equitable and family-sustaining. For more information about the UFCW’s work across the cannabis industry, visit ufcw.org/cannabis.