Posts Categorized: Cannabis

The August 24th signing ceremony of UFCW Local 21 and the adult-use cannabis retailer Have a Heart made history as the first contract between a union and an adult-use cannabis retailer in the state. Have a Heart is a recreational and medical marijuana retail operation which operates five stores in Washington. The event was covered by local CBS and ABC TV stations, The Seattle Times, Bloomberg, and other news outlets.

The three-year contract, which currently covers 134 Have a Heart employees, improves wages and benefits and provides the workers with a voice in the workplace. The new agreement also includes comprehensive health and welfare coverage and other benefits, as well as trainings, mentoring programs and staff-development opportunities. Most impactful to growing our union, the employer agreed to a union recognition process for new facilities in Washington and around the country.

“This relationship is quite unusual in a very positive sense,” said UFCW Local 21 President Todd Crosby. “It’s rare for an employer and their employees to reach a first contract so quickly and one that is so promising for its current and future employees. These partnerships strengthen individuals, families and communities – and lead to superior service for customers.”

“At Have a Heart, we believe in ‘doing good,’” said Have a Heart CEO Ryan Kunkel. “We consistently strive to have a positive impact in the neighborhoods where we do business, and we see our partnership with UFCW 21 as part of our commitment to creating a safe and empowering workplace.”

On April 2, 38 workers at Cypress Manufacturing Company in Salinas, California, joined UFCW Local 5. The facility is part of Altai Brands and the workers produce a variety of edible cannabis products. Indus Holding Company is the parent company of Altai Brands.

The cannabis processing workers joined UFCW Local 5 for a voice in the workplace. “They complained about a list of broken promises around basic issues like regular wage increases and evaluations – but want they really want is respect,” said Union Representative Efrain Aguilera.

Long known as the “nation’s salad bowl,” the Salinas Valley agriculture industry is in transition as traditional crops, particularly flowers, are replaced by more profitable cannabis plants. The area is home to nearly 100 cannabis-related companies, which employ thousands of workers.

UFCW Local 5 was one of the first unions in the country to organize workers in the cannabis industry, focusing initially on Bay Area medical marijuana dispensaries before legalization for recreational use in California was approved by voters in 2016. UFCW Local 5 continues to focus on dispensaries, manufacturing facilities, and workers who grow and harvest cannabis, including a current campaign with Indus/Cypress field workers covered by the Agricultural Labor Relations Act.

As the industry grows so will UFCW Local 5’s effort to organize workers “from seed to sale,” said Aguilera.