Bloom Medicinals employees in O’Fallon vote to unionize

Thursday, staff members of Bloom Medicinals in O’Fallon voted on unionization. The approval makes Bloom Missouri’s second unionized cannabis facility.

Earlier this year, staff at the Root 66 dispensary on S. Grand made history when they became the first Missouri dispensary to unionize.

Both dispensaries join United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 655. UFCW 655 represents workers in retail food and non-food, manufacturing, packing houses, distribution centers, laboratories, and hair care.

“Since our first union election earlier this year we’ve heard from cannabis workers across the region who are interested in what forming a union would mean for them,” said UFCW Local 655 President David Cook. “These are workers in an industry that is brand new to the state and will only continue to grow, and they want to ensure that they are able to grow with it and be financially secure.”

The organization is set to begin formal discussions and negotiations on behalf of the Root 66 S. Grand workers next week.

While both Bloom and Root 66 operate multiple dispensary locations in Missouri, unionization must be voted on and implemented by individual locations, as such only the workers at the O’Fallon (Bloom Medicinals) and S. Grand (Root 66) locations, respectively, are currently members of UFCW 655.