A St. Louis-based marijuana company's failed attempt to block its workers from unionizing has set a national precedent in favor of workers who process cannabis. Owners of BeLeaf Medical's Sinse cultivation facility in St. Louis have been arguing since 2023 that their "post-harvest workers" don't have the right to unionize because they're agricultural workers.
Agricultural workers who grow food — or weed – aren't protected by federal law that ensures employees have the right to unionize without fear of retaliation. The National Labor Relations Board, which is the highest administrative body on labor conflicts and sets national policy on unionizing, shot down the company's argument on April 23.
The board's decision came the same day Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a bill that, in part, ensures all cannabis workers – including those who grow marijuana – have the right to unionize.
"We agree with the Regional [NLRB] Director, for the reasons provided in her decision, that none of the workers employed in the classifications at issue here are agricultural laborers under the secondary definition of agriculture," the national board members stated.
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