Missouri cannabis workers are stacking up union wins, and organizers say the momentum is spreading across the state.
Last week, High Profile Cannabis employees in Columbia unanimously ratified what United Food and Commercial Workers International Local 655 calls the state’s first collective bargaining contract for cannabis workers. The deal secures higher pay and paid vacation time, according to the Missouri Independent.
What are other cannabis companies in Missouri doing?
The win is one of three union developments over the past few weeks. In St. Louis, Proper Brands post-harvest workers, who process and manufacture cannabis products, voted 25-21 on July 1 to unionize.
Vibe Cannabis post-harvest workers have an election scheduled for late July.
“I’ve been hearing from more and more production and dispensary workers all over the state who want to find out what they need to do to organize their workplaces,” Sean Shannon, organizing director at UFCW Local 655, told the Independent.
“They basically thought it was impossible when all these companies were fighting, and now the workers are winning.”
Missouri legalized recreational marijuana in 2023, fueling a surge in cannabis jobs and, soon after, a push to unionize, according to the Independent.
Several groups of workers endured years-long legal battles and company pushback before seeing victories this year.
Why are Missouri cannabis workers organizing now?
A May decision from the National Labor Relations Board cleared a key hurdle. The board rejected a St. Louis cannabis company’s argument that post-harvest employees are agricultural workers, a classification that would exempt them from federal law protecting most private-sector workers’ right to organize without retaliation.
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Sierra Lutz helped organize the High Profile petition in 2023 and now leads the campaign at Vibe, where she works as a trimming technician, the Independent reported. She said the earlier effort taught her a lesson she’s carrying forward.
“The workplace won’t change overnight, but change will come,” Lutz told the Independent. “That’s been my biggest point I’ve been communicating to Vibe employees.”
