Formal consent that will allow the employees of a California cannabis delivery company to embark on a three-year working contract has been confirmed by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW). The contract was ratified on Monday, October 19 and the UFCW claims that it is the first occasion on which delivery drivers in the legal weed sector have been unionized.

Stachs is the name of the California cannabis delivery company involved in the newly signed contract. It operates in two Northern towns — Clearlake and Cotati. Since Stachs is a subsidiary of Eaze – one of the biggest California cannabis delivery firms – the company has already firmly rooted itself in this segment of the industry. 

“It’s been a pleasure working with UFCW and we look forward to building a stronger relationship with them in the future,” reads an excerpt from an email sent to reporters at Marijuana Business Daily by an Eaze spokesperson.

What does the California cannabis delivery contract entail?

Jim Araby, a UFCW Local 5 spokesman, says that the California cannabis delivery contract will apply to a minimum of 40 Stachs employees. The following things are guaranteed as part of the three-year contract:

• Solid and consistent working hours
• Employer-funded health insurance
• Raises somewhere between 16-25 percent of a cannabis delivery driver’s usual salary
• A newly-formed labor management team that will manage cannabis delivery industry-related issues.

Currently, approximately 10,000 cannabis industry workers are represented by the UFCW across the United States. Employees operating in the legal sector have been assisted by the Union – which requires businesses of a specific size to sign a labor peace agreement – for a number of years.

UFCW-negotiated contract also awarded to San Francisco cannabis delivery company

In addition to the ratification of California cannabis delivery company Stachs, the UFCW also recently negotiated and ratified a contract for employees at a San Francisco cannabis retailer — Shryne Group-operated Stiiizy-Mission.

“Salary increases that average $3/hr over the life of the contract, a pathway to full-time work, employer provided health insurance, and an employer sponsored retirement savings account” are included in the contract, according to a news release.

In addition to this, a licensed cannabis cultivator based in Rhode Island also nabbed a labor contract from the UFCW. The contract was inked between UFCW and Ocean State Cultivation Center in Warwick. As per the details of the contract, career advancement opportunities, hazard-free working conditions, comprehensive benefits and a “living wage” will be guaranteed.