After two years of legal back-and-forth, post-harvest workers at BeLeaf Medical’s Sinse cultivation plant on Cherokee Street in south St. Louis have officially locked in a union win. The final tally came in at 11 to 3 in favor of representation by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 655, a result that caps a long-running ballot dispute and a stack of employer challenges.
According to the Missouri Independent, the fight started when employees filed for an election in 2023. BeLeaf quickly moved to challenge most of the ballots, arguing that post-harvest workers were agricultural employees who fall outside the National Labor Relations Act. That argument kept 11 of the 16 ballots sealed until a drawn-out series of National Labor Relations Board proceedings finally cleared the way for the votes to be counted and the union certified.
NLRB Shoots Down Employer’s Farm-Work Claim
The national board denied BeLeaf’s request for review on April 23, ruling that duties like de-stemming, weighing, packaging, and making pre-rolls are not ordinary farm work and are therefore covered by federal labor law. The NLRB docket identifies the Cherokee Street facility as the unit at the center of the case and records the order to certify the union.
Organizers Say They’re Ready To Bargain
Organizers with UFCW Local 655 are treating the certification as the green light to move straight into contract talks. Local leaders who have been working with Sinse employees since 2023 told the Labor Tribune that the NLRB ruling finally clears the procedural fog and gives the unit a direct path to the bargaining table.
Company Response
BeLeaf, which runs the Sinse brand along with several Swade dispensaries across Missouri, told the Independent in an email that it “respects the outcome and the wishes of our employees,” even after previously insisting the jobs were outside the reach of federal labor law. Union organizers said they plan to send a formal request to set bargaining dates and expect talks to begin as the certification paperwork is processed, a timeline they described to the Missouri Independent.
Why The Ruling Matters
Legal observers say the decision helps clarify a murky corner of labor law for cannabis processors and could influence organizing efforts far beyond one St. Louis grow. BeLeaf had previously argued the dispute could set a national precedent for the industry and kept open the option of seeking federal court review, a strategy described by Marijuana Moment.
For the Sinse crew on Cherokee Street, the focus now shifts from counting ballots to writing a first contract. Union leaders say they plan to zero in on wages, scheduling, and job security at the facility. Company and union representatives both face a familiar but closely watched next step: bargaining starts once certification is fully official, and each side will be tracking how quickly a deal can be reached.
