The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) last week rejected the argument by a Missouri cannabis company that cultivation and manufacturing facility employees could not unionize because they are agricultural workers, the Missouri Independent reports. Two years ago, workers at BeLeaf Medical’s Sinse facility in St. Louis voted on unionization but the company challenged the attempt and fired the workers involved.
Last week, following the NLRB decision, the ballots were finally unveiled, and the workers had voted 11-3 in favor of unionization.
Will Braddum, one of the fired workers, told the Independent the outcome was “bittersweet.”
“It’s really nice to have changed the industry for the better, even if the people over at Sinse don’t decide to go in the direction of unionizing and protecting their own rights, at least they have the opportunity now. It sets a precedent.” — Braddum to the Independent
In the decision, the NLRB ruled that “none of the workers employed in the classifications at issue here are agricultural laborers under the secondary definition of agriculture.”
In a statement, Douglas Purvis, BeLeaf Medical’s director of human resources, told the Independent that the company would respect “the outcome and the wishes of our employees” and that it “is committed to bargaining in good faith and look(s) forward to working together toward a mutually acceptable agreement.”
