JEFFERSON CITY — Workers at a St. Louis medical marijuana dispensary have voted to unionize, becoming the first cannabis workers in Missouri to do so, a local chapter of the United Food and Commercial Workers announced on Monday.
All eight workers in the bargaining unit at the Root 66 dispensary on South Grand voted in favor of the UFCW representing them in contract negotiations with management, a news release from the union said.
“Cannabis workers across the country are voting to join a union because they know it’s the best way to secure good wages and benefits on the job,” said David Cook, president of Local 655 of the UFCW.
“Workers need economic security and fair treatment in the workplace, and cannabis workers are no different,” he said. “We are committed to helping cannabis workers across Missouri.”
Joseph Delia, chief operating officer of Root 66, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. The official name of the company is GF Wellness.
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Local 655 said workers voiced concerns about wages, paid sick leave and vacation time during the unionization campaign.
“If there are changes made to policy we deserve to understand why, and right now it feels like they can just change things whenever they want and that makes it difficult on us,” said Prince Israel, one of the dispensary employees, in the news release.
“Benefits are also very important to us,” he said. “We really like what we do and we want these jobs to be good jobs for all of us.”
The National Labor Relations Board administered the election.
AÂ spokeswoman for the federal agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
The UFCW has been attempting to organize Missouri cannabis workers since last fall, the Post-Dispatch reported at the time.
An effort earlier this year to unionize workers at the Swade dispensary in the Grove failed, according to the union, and a petition for a union election there was withdrawn.
Local 655 also represents workers at Schnuck Markets and Dierbergs Markets, among other local companies.
The unionization efforts come as Missouri voters could weigh in on full marijuana legalization later this year.
The Legal Missouri 2022 campaign, backed by established medical marijuana businesses, faces a May 8 deadline to submit enough signatures to make the November ballot.
The proposed constitutional amendment allows the state to maintain limits on marijuana business licenses and gives current businesses the first shot at licenses under full legalization.
Legislators also are weighing the so-called “Cannabis Freedom Act,” or House Bill 2704, which cleared the House Public Safety Committee last week and awaits debate before the full Missouri House.
Rep. Shamed Dogan’s House Joint Resolution 83, which would put the legalization question to voters in the form of a proposed constitutional amendment, is scheduled to be heard in the House Special Committee on Criminal Justice on Tuesday.
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