St. Louis medical marijuana dispensary workers unionize in a Missouri first

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Eight workers at the Root 66 medical marijuana dispensary in St. Louis voted to join the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union.

The unionization is the first in Missouri’s MMJ industry, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Worker concerns included wages, sick leave and vacation time, the newspaper reported, citing a UFCW Local 655 news release.

Root 66 has multiple locations, but only workers at one location will be included in the bargaining unit, the newspaper reported.

The Post-Dispatch previously reported that UFCW Local 655 has been working since 2021 to unionize Missouri cannabis workers.

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The UFCW has made inroads with cannabis employees in multiple states so far this year, including in California, Illinois and Michigan.

Missouri lawmakers are currently considering a recreational marijuana legalization bill, while the Legal Missouri 2022 campaign is pursuing adult-use legalization via a ballot initiative.