ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Marijuana workers in St. Louis are looking to unionize but are they allowed to?
As the Marijuana industry continues to boom across Missouri, more workers are starting to aim to unionize.
Be Leaf's employees have filed to unionize. However, the company is arguing they aren't manufactures but agricultural workers. Agricultural laborers are not ensured a right to unionize due to the 1935 National Labor Relations Act.
Sean Shannon is with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 655, who currently represents dispensary in Columbia, Missouri, and he says this is a grey area for post-harvest workers.
"Post-trim, post-harvest, that kind of work, are they considered agricultural or not?" said Shannon to KMOX. "It will come down to the majority of their work that goes about in their daily lives."
Shannon tells KMOX marijuana workers feel they need to join a union because of they feel they are underpaid.
"These workers are working to help produce what has become a billion industry already and they are making less than fast food workers," said Shannon.
Shannon says many of these companies with Cannabis licenses got into the industry to make money off the recreational market, not to help people with medical marijuana.
Shannon says most workers realize the shine will begin to wear off for them after around the first six months.
"After six months to a year, workers realize they are not getting raises, the turnover is ridiculous, management is turning over extremely rapidly," said Shannon.
Shannon says some marijuana workers are already working to unionize. Another marijuana dispensary, High Point Cannabis in St. Louis, has a union election in January.