Workers at Greenlight in Joplin, Mo.UFCW Local 2
“I love my job and the customers I get to help every day, and with a union, we will be able to serve them better,” said Kelli Jones, a budtender at Greenlight who’s worked at the business since 2023. “Job security at Greenlight is crucial for us, especially after being bought by Good Day Farm. We can now negotiate a first contract that secures more consistent hours and better pay for all of us.”
“We have stood together throughout this process, and we are excited to get it done,” said Jenifer Johnson, a budtender at Greenlight who’s worked at the business since 2025. “We are helping medical patients every day and genuinely care for them. That work is worth so much more than $15 an hour. We love our workplace, and the value we bring to it every day should be properly reflected in a union contract.”
“We fought hard to win our union to not only improve our workplace, but also to ensure the sustainability and success of Missouri’s cannabis industry,” said Evan Arehart, a budtender at Greenlight who’s worked at the business since 2023. “With 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. I love this industry, and I want to see it thrive, which is why I’m proud to have a seat at the table and a voice in the decisions being made at Greenlight.”
“UFCW Local 2 is thrilled to welcome workers from Greenlight’s Joplin location into our union family,” said UFCW Local 2 Director of Collective Bargaining and Retail Servicing Chad Price. “We 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. Local 2 is proud to see the organizing momentum in Missouri’s cannabis industry, and we will continue supporting workers as they unionize and secure strong contracts.”
Background
- Greenlight Marijuana Dispensary workers at the company’s Joplin location won their union election on Sept. 18. Workers began organizing after Good Day Farm acquired the location last year and began instituting top-down changes. Budtenders and lead budtenders make up the 21-worker bargaining unit.
- Workers will now enter negotiations for their first collective bargaining agreement. Their priorities include job security, more consistent scheduling, equitable tip distribution, better pay and protection from corporate whims.
- Greenlight workers’ election victory in Joplin comes off the heels of three historic contract ratifications for Missouri’s cannabis workers this summer.
- As America’s cannabis union, the UFCW is committed to ensuring cannabis jobs are safe, well-paid and family-sustaining, which workers at Greenlight’s Joplin location can now begin bargaining for.
