Second cannabis staff votes to join UFCW Local 655

O’Fallon, MO – Workers at a second St. Louis-area medical cannabis facility have given approval to forming a bargaining unit.

The group at the Bloom Medicinals dispensary in O’Fallon, Mo., voted last week to form a bargaining unit within Local 655.

The first area workers to form a bargaining unit were a group at Root 66 on South Grand in St. Louis, also with Local 655. They passed their vote in April, and the union has begun contract talks with the company.

Local 655 President David Cook said the UFCW has become the clear national leader in organizing cannabis workers.

“Since our first union election earlier this year, we’ve heard from cannabis workers across the region who are interested in what forming a union would mean for them,” he said. “These are workers in an industry that is brand new to the state and will only continue to grow, and they want to ensure that they are able to grow with it and be financially secure.”

SEEKING RAISES, MORE STABILITY
The Bloom employees are seeking regular wage increases and a more stable workplace with improved communication, the union said. When they approved their bargaining unit, Root 66 workers said they were seeking consistency in the workplace and better benefits including paid sick leave and vacations.

Bloom, based in Boca Raton, Fla., also has dispensaries in Cape Girardeau, Cameron and Springfield, Mo., and in Ohio, Florida and Maryland. It also says it has cultivation centers in O’Fallon, Cape Girardeau and Springfield.

Local 655 is the largest union local in Missouri, representing some 8,500 members throughout the eastern half of the state. Members are employed in food stores, shoe manufacturing, packing houses, distribution centers and many miscellaneous plants – now including cannabis facilities.