Post-harvest technicians at Proper Cannabis in St. Louis have taken their labor fight to the next level, filing for a union election this week in a bid for higher pay, stronger safety rules and more job security. Their move comes right as a federal NLRB decision and a new state law combine to clear a long-murky path for cannabis processing workers who want to organize. The group has asked to be represented by United Food & Commercial Workers Local 655, adding fresh fuel to a union push that has been spreading through the city’s cannabis shops and facilities.
According to Missouri Independent, roughly 46 employees in Proper’s post-harvest department filed a petition this week with the NLRB (case no. 14‑RC‑387356). Workers told the outlet that although they received recent raises, their pay still trails far behind other departments. They also cited ongoing safety concerns, including persistent mold in dried flower and air quality issues, and said securing a contract could lock in raises and protections instead of leaving them to management’s discretion. Proper Cannabis declined to comment to the Independent when contacted.
Federal ruling cleared the path
In April, the NLRB’s national board rejected BeLeaf Medical’s attempt to classify post-harvest employees as agricultural workers, a legal strategy that had helped stall previous organizing efforts. According to the NLRB, the board concluded that the job classifications at issue, including making pre-rolls, packaging and METRC data entry, are not “agricultural labor” and are therefore covered by the National Labor Relations Act. The BeLeaf case docket shows how long the dispute dragged on, with a February 2024 tally listing 16 eligible voters, 11 challenged ballots and months of legal wrangling before the board finally issued its April decision.
State law backs up workers
The organizing drive also landed just as Missouri law shifted in workers’ favor. The enacted SS HCS HB 2641 adds a new Section 1 that states employees in cannabis-related businesses “shall have the right to organize, form, join, and assist labor organizations and to bargain collectively with their employers,” and it specifies that cannabis industry jobs are not to be treated as agricultural labor. That language appears in the bill text and legislative documents from the Missouri General Assembly and is part of a broader package of cannabis and hemp provisions signed into law this spring. Other hemp-product sections of the bill carry a November 12, 2026 effective date.
Organizers and workers told Missouri Independent that small raises and unresolved safety problems, including repeated complaints about ventilation and mold, pushed them to file for an election. They said the recent win at BeLeaf’s Sinse facility helped convince them it was possible. That vote followed a years-long organizing campaign that, according to organizers, included firings and lengthy legal delays. UFCW Local 655, which represented the Sinse employees, is now working with Proper staff as they try to secure an election date and eventually negotiate a contract.
What comes next
Legally, the fight is not over once a petition is filed. Employers can still challenge which workers belong in the bargaining unit or which ballots count, and they can seek judicial review of NLRB decisions, a route some cannabis operators have signaled they would pursue in past disputes. Industry outlets and lawyers say the BeLeaf ruling could invite more organizing drives at processing facilities across the country as unions focus on a fast-growing sector. Coverage and analysis from MJBizDaily and commentary from Foley Hoag note that employers are revisiting handbooks and production setups to limit legal exposure while unions sharpen their bargaining agendas.
In St. Louis, the one-two punch of a federal NLRB ruling and new state statutory language has turned what might have been an isolated workplace dispute into a test case for how local cannabis companies will respond to organizing. Sinse’s prolonged battle ended in a union win earlier this month, and local organizers say Proper’s petition shows that processing crews across the city are lining up for contracts and safer, better-paying jobs, just as Sinse workers wrapped their two-year union brawl.
