San Francisco Dispensary Employees Ratify Union Contract

Workers at San Francisco, California dispensary Stiiizy Mission have ratified a contract with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. The deal includes a salary increase that averages $3 an hour over the three-year life of the contract, a pathway to full-time work, and employer-provided health insurance and retirement accounts.

The workers approved the contract unanimously.

Kat Gonzalez, a budtender at Stiiizy Mission, described the process as “long” but “worth it in the end.”

“It feels good to know we have a team like UFCW 5 behind us to protect our rights as workers and help us advance in our careers within the cannabis industry. Every position is important in cannabis and being a part of the union ensures that budtenders are the backbone of the cannabis industry. We are not disposable, and our jobs deserve protection; it feels great to have that recognized.” – Gonzalez in a statement

According to the press release, UFCW 5 represents hundreds of cannabis industry workers throughout the Bay Area. In California, cannabis businesses over a certain size must enter labor peace agreements.

The UFCW has also recently reached agreements with cannabis workers in Massachusetts and Illinois. The union says it represents more than 10,000 industry employees nationwide.

According to the UFCW website, the union represents workers at major cannabis brands, including Wonderland, The Joint, Mr. Nice Guy, NRX, Modern Buds, Long Beach Green Room, McKesson, Have a Heart, and Garden State Dispensaries.