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Dozens of local employees with San Francisco-based cannabis delivery company Eaze have voted to unionize.
Dozens of local employees with San Francisco-based cannabis delivery company Eaze have voted to unionize.
Eaze operates a software platform and online marketplace that connects customers with licensed dispensaries and products, allowing them to order through its app and have it delivered to their door. The company, which currently services counties throughout California and Michigan, has approximately 2 million registered customers and provides 1,200 jobs, according to its website.
The company’s Sacramento County employees recently voted to unionize and join Teamsters Local 150. Matt McQuaid, a spokesperson with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, said a total of 56 Sacramento County employees will be affected by the unanimous decision to unionize, including both full-time and part-time delivery drivers, depot specialists and dispatchers.
Everett Jenkins, a local delivery driver with Eaze, said when he first joined the company, mileage reimbursement on deliveries was around 56 cents per mile but has since dropped to the 30-cents-per-mile range. In addition to a higher salary and more transparency when it comes to wages, he’s hopeful the union will help stabilize shift schedules for workers. Eaze serves areas including Antelope, Elverta, North Highlands, Sacramento, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Orangevale, Citrus Heights, Folsom, Rancho Cordova, Elk Grove, Mather and Rio Linda, according to its website.
“I don’t know any drivers that have any animosity toward the company themselves. I recognize the company is looking out for its own best interests,” Jenkins said. “I just want an opportunity to have our interests heard as well.”
Cory Azzalino, CEO of Eaze, said the company respects its employees’ rights to unionize. He estimates that Eaze drivers make on average $25.46 per hour, which includes electronic and cash tips.
“This is 59% higher than the State of California established minimum wage and 27% higher than the new State of California minimum wage for fast food workers who do not typically earn tips,” he said in an email. “In addition, Eaze offers benefits such as health benefits, vacation, floating holidays, and paid holidays. As a result, our average driver tenure is over 2.4 years, which is very high for this type of role.”
Of the company’s 12 territories in California, five locations have unionized. Azzalino said the Sacramento County effort will not have any immediate impact on operations.
As the California cannabis industry continues to struggle due to over-taxation of the legal market, Eaze has felt the impacts with California revenue declining in 2022 and 2023, Azzalino said. He said the company has not earned a profit in its history.
“Despite the headwinds faced by the industry, we recognize our dedicated, hard-working delivery and depot staff are essential to the success of the business. We are proud to have over 700 employees in California,” Azzalino said in an email.
Teamsters said in a news release that the Sacramento County employees are the first group of cannabis workers in the Central Valley to organize with the union. The union also organized similar efforts for Southern California-based cannabis delivery companies Nabis and Amuse in recent years. The local union branch represents approximately 11,000 workers in warehousing, logistics, construction, public services, health care and other industries in and around Sacramento, according to a news release.
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Sacramento County employees for cannabis delivery company Eaze vote to unionize – The Business Journals
