MONTREAL -- Workers at the first Lufa Farms facility, which specializes in urban agriculture, have just unionized.

The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), affiliated with the FTQ, has organized them.

There are about 15 employees working in these greenhouses, maintaining and harvesting the crops. But UFCW Local 501 makes no secret that it has ambitions for other facilities.

Lufa Farms operates four greenhouses: three in Montreal and one in Laval. They are involved in urban agriculture, grow crops on building rooftops and have developed partnerships with local producers.

Several issues are of interest to the new union members, including occupational health and safety, promotions, wages and the opportunity to have a say in the company, explained Sami Dellah, UFCW Local 501 representative and negotiator, in an interview Tuesday.

The employer has not yet commented.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 4, 2021.