Cannabis workers reach deal to avert strike ahead of pot-smoking holiday
April 20 marks the unofficial annual pot-smoking holiday. FILE PHOTO
LOS ANGELES – Delivery drivers and other workers across California reached a tentative agreement with cannabis-delivery company Eaze to avoid a strike ahead of the unofficial pot-smoking holiday on April 20, officials said this week.
The agreement applies to cannabis delivery drivers and depot staff at 11 Eaze locations statewide. It was reached by a bargaining committee made up of employees represented by United Food and Commercial Workers locals 5, 135, 324 and 770, and comes after nine months of negotiations, union officials said.
“We’re pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with UFCW, which we hope will be ratified in the coming weeks,” Eaze CEO Cory Azzalino said.
in a statement provided to City News Service. “First and foremost, I want to thank our employees that took part in the bargaining committee who made their voices heard and we will work to implement their feedback to make Eaze an even better place to work.
“I also want to thank the UFCW team for negotiating an agreement that is fair for all parties involved. We look forward to their partnership over the coming years.”
The bargaining committee unanimously recommended that workers ratify the agreement, with a vote on ratification expected later this week. The tentative deal with the San Francisco-based company includes increased pay, a “fair process for reimbursement of the costs of operating their vehicles, hours of work, and a multitude of enforceable rights and protections on the job,” according to the union.
“We are thrilled to have achieved such meaningful victories through our collective strength and solidarity,” said Ron Swallow, a delivery driver with Eaze Van Nuys and part of the UFCW Local 770 negotiating committee. “This contract will not only improve the lives of Eaze employees but sets a powerful precedent for labor rights within the cannabis industry as a whole.” (CNS)
