If you only read one story about our union…it should probably be this one. Thank you
@alexnpress
for capturing the past year and a half in such a deep way.
I spent some time getting to know a few of the workers at the heart of
@TraderJoesUnite
, an independent union that has thus far won four NLRB elections. Here’s the story of what they’ve been up to for the past year and a half.
Happy Labor Day! Trader Joe’s employees across the country are making an extra $10 an hour today thanks to collective action and community organizing. That’s WOW worthy!
We had a six hour bargaining session scheduled for today. We’ve spent three hours waiting for our employer’s lawyers to come back to the table.
@TJoesOfficial
where you at?
“I’m voting YES for our union. We, the crew, are what keep this company running and profitable. It’s time for us to sit down at the negotiating table as equals with Trader Joe’s and create a contract that protects and takes care of us as workers.” –Maeg, 18 years with TJ’s
Breaking: Crew members at the Essex Crossing store in NYC just walked out, protesting unsafe working conditions. The air quality in the store is so poor right now that crew are having trouble breathing.
It's official! Trader Joe's Hadley has an election date.
Voting will happen at the store in just a few short weeks, on July 27th and 28th.
We are thrilled to have a date and are excited about the final vote count.
“I’m voting YES because as a captain & now crew member, I watched the company put profit over the well-being of the crew repeatedly. It’s time for us to have a say in the decisions that affect our lives. That means a union, and that means a contract.” Sarah, 18 years w/ TJ’s
Trader Joe’s United is following the successful and exciting model of Chris Smalls and the Amazon Labor Union by forming a new, independent union. Lots of workers like that bottom-up, self-organizing model, formed by their coworkers
Yesterday in Minneapolis we closed out 2022 right with a walk out over unfair cuts to our hours! Union supporting crew members had shifts cut and given instead to dozens of recently hired staff.
WE HAVE BARGAINING DATES. This is a huge moment for our union. We have accepted dates from Trader Joe’s, and are looking forward to sitting down at the bargaining table on November 3rd and 4th. We’ve insisted on joint bargaining, because we are stronger together.
Oh, did y'all think we were done Marching on the Boss for the day? Hell, no!
Crew members in Oakland, CA also filed for an election with TJU today, along with crew in NYC. Welcome to TJU, Oakland! Let's Goooo!
The workers hope that their union drive will inspire crew members at other Trader Joe’s stores—and workers nationwide—to take action and organize.
@TraderJoesUnite
worker-organizer Jamie Edwards: “I want workers to remember that these companies don’t function without them.”
BREAKING: Trader Joe’s workers in Louisville are unionizing with
@TraderJoesUnite
.
It’s the first store in the South to join the Trader Joe’s union wave.
If they win, they’ll be the third-ever unionized Trader Joe’s, joining stores in Massachusetts and Minnesota.
This is a pivotal moment for our union, and we need YOUR help to expand our organizing efforts. This week, crew members in Oakland, CA *and* NYC filed for union elections to join TJU. We are now organizing coast to coast, and our movement is poised to sweep the country.
It's official! Trader Joe's Minneapolis has an election date!
The election will be held on August 11 & 12, and we can't wait to see the final vote count!
The Minneapolis location is the second to file for a union election, after the Hadley, MA store, which is voting next week.
“I am voting yes because I want to give my fellow crew members a voice in our workplace. Yes because we have each other's backs, and support each other.” –Woody, 14 years with Trader Joe’s
#thecrewunited
#unionstrong
“I’m Sarah and I’m voting Yes to unionize because all workers deserve the right to have their voices heard, their jobs and benefits protected, and to feel safe and respected in their place of work. I believe unionizing is the only way for us to do this.” Sarah, 9 years with TJ’s
BREAKING: Trader Joe’s workers in Boulder, Colorado, are unionizing with
@UFCW_7
, joining a growing union wave at the grocery chain.
This is the third Trader Joe's to file for a union election.
Workers in Williamsburg fought bravely toward a union election today; unfortunately the no votes carried the day. The struggle to organize Trader Joe’s continues and please watch this space for more updates
TODAY IS THE DAY! LET'S GOOOOOO!
Our first union election will be held today and tomorrow at the Trader Joe's in Hadley, MA.
To celebrate, we'll be sharing some words from organizers and supporters from the Hadley store here.
@EAlmquist
The best way to support us right now is to come shopping--let crew know we have your support and let management (look for a Hawaiian shirt) know how excited you are to shop at a unionized store. :)
Hi! Trader Joe’s United of Williamsburg BK here. We’re so excited to be the third store, and first in NYC, to publicly announce that we have filed for a union election with TJU
Read some of our story here and if you can, donate to TJU’s solidarity fund:
Thank you everyone for celebrating this historic win with us! For all of you asking, you can support us by donating to our Solidarity Fund and sharing this link far and wide:
“I’m Skyler and I’m voting Yes for the union at Trader Joe’s in Hadley! My amazing coworkers are THE reason Trader Joe’s is a great place to shop, and we deserve a seat at the table in determining our compensation and working conditions.” –Skyler, 3.5 years with Trader Joe's
Breaking: Crew in Hadley, MA march on the boss, deliver a petition demanding the reinstatement of fired crew member Steve Andrade.
How you can help:
Sign our community petition to reinstate Steve:
Negotiations outside of work hours were refused by Trader Joe’s reps, who were only willing to bargain during “normal” 9-5 work hours. Normal for whom, we’d like to know? Day in and day out, we are taking in trucks at 4:30 AM and stocking shelves until 11 PM. 6/19
BREAKING: Trader Joe’s workers in Williamsburg are unionizing with
@TraderJoesUnite
.
Management told workers on Thursday that they knew about the union drive. A day later they fired a Black union organizer.
Workers are rallying outside the store today.
NEW: The Trader Joe’s union wave is spreading across the country.
Minneapolis workers are unionizing after management fired a beloved & pro-union employee at their store for having “a negative impact on the crew.”
They’re calling on Trader Joe’s to allow a free & fair election.
From the moment we started organizing, Trader Joe's has engaged in the same union-busting tactics used by Starbucks or Amazon. It’s gotta stop.
Sign our petition & urge Trader Joe’s to stop union busting & start living up to its
#1
core value: integrity.
I am voting YES for Trader Joe’s United because I believe our crew needs to be represented by an entity that is solely dedicated to our best interests. Our worker-led union ensures that we are protected and properly compensated—on our terms. - Gabrielle, 7 months with TJ's
We are LIT UP after two days at the table, because we know that we can win what we’re willing to fight for, and we’ll keep going until we get a contract that improves the lives of the crew members at our stores, and beyond. 18/19
🌟An amazing group of customers surprised us at 725 to support the crew! Thank you for brightening our day and spreading the word! 🌟 UNION RALLY TOMORROW! Meet us Sat 6th @ Gold Medal Park
Real life footage of us filing unfair labor practice charges against Trader Joe’s with the NLRB.
Why? All week long, Hadley crew members wearing union pins have been ordered to remove their pins or go home, despite the fact that wearing a union pin at work is a protected right.
This session proved that we need a contract, & that TJ’s is committed to drawing the process out. If they think they are going to wear us down, they’re wrong. Our committee has been collectively bagging groceries for at least a century. If that doesn’t wear us down, nothing will!
Trader Joe’s sent Nancy Inesta, their General Counsel of six months, and two Morgan Lewis lawyers–not a single person who has ever worked in a store, lifted a box, or helped a customer. 15/19
🔔 it’s time for another union election at Trader Joe’s!
Starting one week from today, the crew of Williamsburg, BK (548) will cast our votes to join TJU.
Learn more about our reasons for organizing in a statement written collaboratively by our crew.
TJ’s Crew needs YOU! Come support the Essex Crossing crew at their pre union election rally in NYC this Tuesday! Please share!
Tuesday, April 18
11 am to 1 pm
@ Essex Crossing
RSVP:
One week from today, join us for a Solidarity Rally at the Hadley, MA store as we celebrate our upcoming union election. Local friends and supporters, we can't wait to see you there!
Nearly the entire shift walked out (including the newbies) to a large crowd of supporters! Apparently, this was the largest grocery labor action in the Twin Cities since the 90s.
The company rejected these proposals, claiming that our stores are “too different” to be covered by the same contract, despite the fact that we have the same job, same terms of employment, and can even transfer between stores. 8/19
“I’m voting yes so we can have a say in our workplace, especially when it comes to issues of safety and discipline. We need clear, consistent guidelines in place to protect the crew.” –Adelaide, 11 years with Trader Joe’s
We also proposed joint bargaining–that we bargain one contract to cover both stores–& hybrid bargaining, so that crew members could participate on Zoom instead of flying constantly, which we can’t afford. We are stronger together & intend to bargain together.
#thecrewunited
7/19
Today we're proud to be standing in a booth on a loading dock in a neighborhood we love, advocating for our future and taking a stand for the future of millions of other workers across America!
#traderjoesunited
On day one, we presented opening statements about why we have organized & why we want to improve our workplace. We shared thoughtful proposals: a comprehensive non-discrimination proposal. A proposal to expand reproductive and gender affirming health care. A privacy clause. 10/19
It’s worth noting that on each day of bargaining, 7 or 8 crew members attended, with decades and decades of experience working for the company between us. 14/19
…in other words: we would have been waiving our right to stay in the 401k plan as a whole!! It goes without saying that a potential one-time bonus is not worth the retirement plans of our fellow crew members.
Nevertheless, crew members from Minneapolis and Hadley negotiated together for the entirety of our two day session and we will continue to push for joint bargaining. 9/19
And again, the company refused to acknowledge that the Hadley & Minneapolis stores are fighting for this contract together. We will continue to bargain jointly, flying back & forth on our own dime, until we will our contract, because we are stronger together.
#oneuniononecontract
Trader Joe’s workers at the Essex Crossing store in NYC are joining the union wave. They delivered this letter to management this morning.
(Stay for the end, it’s worth it)
Getting to the table was a financial challenge for many crew members, but we did it, even though some of bargaining committee members had to sacrifice wages to attend, and crew from MN flew to MA *on their own dime* to participate. 3/19
After Trader Joe’s rejected our proposal for paid release, we proposed that future meeting times be outside of work hours. For us, that’s midnight to four am, during the small part of the day where none of us are working. 5/19
The reason? When responding with our signatures, we wrote to confirm that the language in the agreement affirmed that members of the union would remain in the current 401k plan until a contract was ratified, as required by federal labor law. We wanted to be absolutely sure...
Trader Joe’s showed up empty handed. No opening statements, no proposals. The company told us that their stance is simple: they want everything to stay the same. They believe the status quo is enough for crew members. 11/19
“The way things are now are not the way that they have to be. It’s the workers who ultimately have the power to transform society.” –Jamie Edwards, President of Trader Joe’s United Local 1 in Hadley, MA.
We were honored to be a part of the Labor Day March in NYC w/
@amazonlabor
While the company has the right to choose its reps, this means that we must stop while presenting each proposal to explain basic things that a crew member would learn on their first day on the job. It’s a drain on our limited resources, and it’s a time waster.
Help us fight for our rights! We are raising travel funds for the bargaining committee and more through our GoFundMe. Please retweet, share, and donate if you can:
We accepted all bargaining dates offered by Trader Joe’s, and were prepared to begin bargaining on the first date offered: October 31st. However, at the last minute the company communicated that they would not be ready to bargain until November 3rd, which we accepted. 2/19
Still, we held strong, and left them with a final counter proposal. The day after bargaining ended, the company relented and we won this benefit, all poison pills removed. Take note, TJs–we will hold our ground.
#thecrewunited
Additionally, we discussed the acceptance of the unilateral changes to our 401k. The company claims to not have received our acceptance of this change, despite the fact that both stores voted together to accept this change and communicated that decision. 16/19