SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Three months after Have a Heart and UFCW 21 signed Washington state’s first collective bargaining agreement for an adult-use cannabis retailer, Have a Heart’s employees are celebrating the fact that they are receiving health-care and other benefits as a result of their contract with UFCW.
At the time of the signing, UFCW 21 leadership characterized the partnership as a rare case of an employer moving swiftly to reach a first contract with such promise for current and future employees.
“This relationship is quite unusual, in a very positive sense,” said Todd Crosby, UFCW 21 President, in August.
As Have a Heart has expanded into additional states, its CEO, Ryan Kunkel, has underscored his company’s dedication to providing equal pay and fair treatment in the workplace regardless of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or cultural background.
“At Have a Heart, we believe in ‘doing good,’” Kunkel said. “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.”
Alexandra Ziegler, a budtender at Have a Heart’s retail location in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood, said her employer truly follows through on that promise.
“Have a Heart walks the talk,” Ziegler said. “This is a phenomenal place to work.”
Under the UFCW 21 agreement, Have a Heart employees receive above-average compensation for the industry, comprehensive health and welfare coverage, and other benefits, including trainings, mentoring programs and staff-development opportunities.
Have a Heart was recently rated by High Times as one of the best cannabis dispensaries in the United States, and earned the distinction as Seattle’s top-selling cannabis retailer from the Puget Sound Business Journal. The company recently closed $25 million in series A financing, the largest private financing round for a pure-play U.S. retail cannabis company to date.
Have a Heart now has more than fifteen retail licenses across six states. The company has more than eighteen applications pending, including in five additional states. In addition, it has more than twenty sites under negotiation with potential merger partners in another four states.
About Have a Heart
Have a Heart, founded in Seattle, Wash., in 2011, owns and operates five licensed cannabis retail locations in Washington with more than 15 other locations in California, Iowa, Hawaii, Oregon and Ohio. The company has robust plans to expand nationally. Have a Heart employs more than 400 people across the United States. Have a Heart is recognized for its support of legislation to promote the safe and compliant growth, manufacturing, distribution and consumption of cannabis in states that have made it legal.
For more information, visit http://www.HaveAHeartCC.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
