A judge granted an order to show cause temporary restraints late Friday in the federal lawsuit against the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission filed by The Cannabis Place (TCP), a Jersey City dispensary, after the City Council delayed a vote on their license.

Photo via Google Images.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

U.S. District Court Judge Zahid Quraishi granted the order, a 14-day temporary stay, against the City of Jersey City after the council delayed a vote on renewing TCP’s cannabis license on Wednesday.

This came after United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 360 Organizing Director Hugh Giordano denounced TCP and their owner, Osbert Orduna, for what he described as abandoning them during public comment, as HCV first reported.

“He used the labor movement to get his licensing … He used the labor movement for folks like me to come to the Jersey City Council meeting We had to come to the [Jersey City] cannabis board,” Giordano said at the time.

“He filed to stop the unionization attempt at his facility,” he noted to a boo. “He’s supposed to bargain in good faith … When we had bargaining sessions, he proposed nothing back . I appreciate the fact that he served our country. But you can’t hide behind equity status.”

TCP’s license was set to expire on Friday after the Jersey City Cannabis Control Board granted their renewal back in August, recommending that the City Council do the same.

A case management teleconference for the case is et for tomorrow.

“The federal court’s intervention Friday saved the livelihoods of 20 dedicated local employees. It is unconscionable that the Jersey City Council would attempt to destroy a veteran-owned, social equity business simply to appease the coercive demands of a union cartel,” Orduna said in a statement.

“We are grateful that the judicial system stands as a shield against this kind of blatant political overreach, and we will continue to fight for our constitutional rights.”

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court one week ago, alleges that the mandatory Labor Peace Agreement (LPA) requirements imposed by the NJCRC under the CREAMM Act conflict with the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and the Commerce Clause of the Constitution.

TCP, a certified minority-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned business, further alleges that these state mandates interfere with employers’ federal rights and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election process.

According to the complaint, TCP announced an LPA with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 360 in July 2024 to comply with state licensing requirements.

TCP terminated that agreement in June 2026 following ongoing disputes in which the union allegedly attempted to leverage interest arbitration through the LPA early in the bargaining process to force unfavorable provisions not practical or sustainable for TCP, the suit claims.