{"id":87064,"date":"2026-09-29T10:55:48","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T18:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2026\/09\/29\/missouri-marijuana-business-workers-claim-they-were-fired-in-retaliation-for-holding-a-union-organizing-meeting\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T19:46:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T03:46:42","slug":"missouri-marijuana-business-workers-claim-they-were-fired-in-retaliation-for-holding-a-union-organizing-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2026\/09\/29\/missouri-marijuana-business-workers-claim-they-were-fired-in-retaliation-for-holding-a-union-organizing-meeting\/","title":{"rendered":"Missouri Marijuana Business Workers Claim They Were Fired In Retaliation For Holding A Union Organizing Meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all are very well aware that it was because we were unionizing.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent<\/strong><\/p>\n

Madison Taylor has spent the past eight days picketing outside her former workplace, Greenlight Dispensary in Springfield.<\/p>\n

Two weeks ago, Taylor says she and a group of coworkers met outside of work to discuss forming a union. Days later, 12 employees who attended the meeting were fired, she said, after management accused them of consuming marijuana at work.<\/p>\n

The workers contend the firings were retaliation for their union activity.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy hope, at this moment, is to just continue speaking up for my coworkers\u2019 rights, the industry workers as a whole, and making sure that our community continues to be aware of the predatory practices of this business,\u201d Taylor told The Independent.<\/p>\n

The firings came just one day before employees at another Greenlight dispensary, this one in Joplin,\u00a0voted to 18-2\u00a0to unionize.<\/p>\n

Both the Springfield and Joplin locations came under new management of \u201can entity affiliated with Good Day Farm\u201d in March 2025, a Greenlight representative said in a statement to The Independent.<\/p>\n

The Joplin workers began seeking representation from the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 2 after they saw the management change and new \u201ctop-down changes,\u201d according to a press release announcing the September 18 election results.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love my job and the customers I get to help every day,\u201d said Kelli Jones, a budtender at the Joplin Greenlight, in the union\u2019s release, \u201cand with a union, we will be able to serve them better. Job security at Greenlight is crucial for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Greenlight\u2019s statement to The Independent, the company said regarding the Springfield employees\u2019 claims, \u201cWe do not comment on personnel matters, but we take compliance matters very seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regarding the Joplin union election, the statement said, \u201cGreenlight respects employees\u2019 right to decide whether they wish to be represented by a union. We will continue to provide great service and products to the people of Joplin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joplin workers there will now begin negotiating for their first collective bargaining agreement, which they hope will include more consistent scheduling, equitable tip distribution and better pay.<\/p>\n

\u201cUFCW Local 2 is thrilled to welcome workers from Greenlight\u2019s Joplin location into our union family,\u201d said Chad Price, the union\u2019s director of collective bargaining and retail servicing. \u201cWe commend these workers on their solidarity and commitment to improving their workplace, and we look forward to supporting them as they bargain their first contract.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Joplin vote comes on the heels of a\u00a0busy summer\u00a0of union activity for Missouri cannabis workers<\/a>, including the ratification of three\u00a0union contracts<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Taylor said she\u2019s happy for her Joplin colleagues and is unsure why the group was able to successfully petition and her Springfield colleagues weren\u2019t. She said one employee who attended the union meeting told management about the organizing effort later that day.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn Monday evening, we found out that somebody that we decided to trust with that information decided to go against the best interests of the group and notify management,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd then Thursday at about noon, it was just one after another.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eleven employees received calls on September 17, Taylor said, saying they were terminated effective immediately. Another, she said, was fired a day later.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all are very well aware that it was because we were unionizing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The workers have protested outside the Springfield dispensary every day since. Taylor said the demonstrations have been exhausting, particularly during stretches of hot weather, but union supporters have joined them in shifts.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I would have known that this would have happened, I think I still would have pursued it because this is such an important issue, and bud tenders matter,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cOur workers matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

She began working at Greenlight nearly two years ago. Before that, she worked at a Good Day Farm dispensary for almost two years, leaving because she said she considered it a \u201ctoxic environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor about two years, I watched some of the most dedicated, knowledgeable people in this industry get treated really poorly and just kind of get trampled on by Good Day and discarded like trash,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Asked about Taylor\u2019s comment, a representative from Good Day Farm said the company does not comment on personnel matters.<\/p>\n

Evan Arehart, a budtender at the Joplin Greenlight location, said the group\u2019s election win will hopefully improve their workplace and \u201censure the sustainability and success of Missouri\u2019s cannabis industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith our union, my co-workers and I will have a say in how our tips are distributed, protection from corporate whims, and the ability to bargain for better wages,\u201d Arehart said. \u201cI love this industry and I want to see it thrive, which is why I\u2019m proud to have a seat at the table and a voice in the decisions being made at Greenlight.\u201d<\/p>\n

This story was first published by Missouri Independent.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

The post Missouri Marijuana Business Workers Claim They Were Fired In Retaliation For Holding A Union Organizing Meeting<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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\nRead More: Missouri Marijuana Business Workers Claim They Were Fired In Retaliation For Holding A Union Organizing Meeting<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe all are very well aware that it was because we were unionizing.\u201d By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent Madison Taylor has spent the past eight days picketing outside her former workplace, Greenlight Dispensary in Springfield. Two weeks ago, Taylor says she and a group of coworkers met outside of workContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":457,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1335],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87064"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/457"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87064"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87065,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87064\/revisions\/87065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}