KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Employees at the Local Cannabis Company's manufacturing facility in Smithville are working to unionize, something no other group in the industry has attempted to do before.
They reached out to Teamsters Local 41 and are working toward a vote. However, they're waiting for one important decision to determine who can and cannot be in the union.
Federal law prohibits agricultural workers from unionizing. The group is made up of around 60 employees who argue they do much more than harvest the crop.
"The company's trying to say they're all agriculture workers because it deals with the growing of the product," said Matthew Daniel, Teamsters Local 41 business agent. "That's not necessarily true because they mix and match them throughout the facility."
Hannah Frazier hopes to unionize to better provide for her family.
"I come from a union background," she said. "My dad had 39 years in the union, so I've seen what it can do for not just only one person but families."
Jeff Knotts is close to retirement. He said he is working to unionize as a way to better the future of younger employees.
"We have a lot of 21, 22-year-olds who want to make this a career," Knotts said. "So if this unionizes, that will secure their future with the company, in this industry."
But this decision to allow them to unionize is something that would impact not just the state but the country. No other group has tried to take on this fight.
"I don't think they realize what impact they're about to have in the whole state and even the whole nation, quite honestly," Daniel said.
The group does not know when the decision will come, but they said they're working to ensure they're treated like the $1.3-billion industry they're a part of.
KSHB 41 reached out to Local Cannabis Company and is waiting to hear back. This story will be updated if a response is received.
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KSHB 41 reporter Caroline Hogan covers development in the Kansas City metro. If you have a story idea to share, send an email to Caroline at caroline.hogan@kshb.com.
