UFCW unionizes California marijuana delivery company

Be at the forefront of cannabis and psychedelics science and innovation. Register by March 14 & Save $100 on tickets to The Emerald Conference by MJBiz Science, April 1-3 in San Diego.


(This story has been updated with a comment from Eaze.)

Employees at Stachs, a cannabis delivery operator in the Northern California towns of Clearlake and Cotati, ratified a three-year contract with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW).

In its announcement of the agreement on Monday, the union claimed this is the first unionization of marijuana delivery drivers in the United States.

Stachs is a subsidiary of Eaze, one of California’s largest cannabis delivery companies.

A spokesperson for Eaze wrote in an email to Marijuana Business Daily, “It’s been a pleasure working with UFCW and we look forward to building a stronger relationship with them in the future.”

According to a news release, the contract the drivers approved guarantees them:

  • Raises over the coming three years in the range of 16%-25%.
  • Employer-paid health insurance.
  • Guaranteed work hours.
  • A new labor-management committee that will focus on industry issues.

UFCW Local 5 spokesman Jim Araby said the contract will apply to at least 40 Stachs employees.

The victory is the second in a week for the union in California’s marijuana industry: Workers at a San Francisco cannabis retailer also ratified a UFCW-negotiated contract.

And on the East Coast, the UFCW recently nailed down a labor contract with a licensed cannabis cultivator in Rhode Island. That agreement follows a boost in union activity in Massachusetts and Illinois as well.