Trader Joe’s workers in Massachusetts vote to join union at one store

On Jul 28, 2022

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Trader Joe’s workers at a store in Hadley, Mass., voted 45-31 to unionize, becoming the first at that company to do so, according to the National Labor Relations Board.

The union’s victory in western Massachusetts follows a wave of successful union drives this year at high-profile employers that have long evaded unionization, such as Starbucks, Amazon, Apple and REI. Union victories can produce a ripple effect across employers and industries, emboldening new workers to organize. Petitions for union elections this year are on track to hit their highest level in a decade, as a hot labor market has afforded workers more leverage over their employers.

Trader Joe’s workers at the Hadley store cited the degradation of their benefits, health and safety concerns related to the pandemic, and pay as the impetus for forming an independent union at their store. Some workers at the store make $16 an hour. The minimum wage in Massachusetts is $14.25 an hour.

“There’s been a really clear trend over the past 10 years of Trader Joe’s chipping away at our benefits,” said Maeg Yosef, the leader of the union drive who has worked at the Hadley store for 18 years. “We all see that, and it’s really obvious to us that the way to protect each other is through a union contract.”

A spokesperson for Trader Joe’s disputed the workers’ allegations, adding that the company’s salaries, benefits and working conditions remain top notch.

“Trader Joe’s offers its Crew Members a package of pay, benefits, and working conditions that is among the best in the grocery business. Despite this, employees in our Hadley, Mass., store recently voted to be represented by a union,” said Nakia Rhode, a spokesperson for Trader Joe’s. “We are prepared to immediately begin discussions with union representatives for the employees at this store to negotiate a contract.”

While Starbucks and Amazon have so far refused to negotiate union contracts with their employees who have recently voted to unionize, Rhode state that Trader Joe’s is willing to use any current union contract for a multi-state grocery store in the region as a model for a contract, including pay, retirement, healthcare, and working conditions, for workers at its Hadley store.

Since workers in Hadley announced their union drive in May, Trader Joe’s workers in Minneapolis and Boulder, Colo., have filed for union elections. The store in Minneapolis will hold its election the second week in August. There are more than 530 Trader Joe’s locations in the country.

Workers in the Hadley store as well as in Minneapolis are unionizing with Trader Joe’s United, an independent union that recently formed, echoing new worker-led union movements at Starbucks and Amazon.

Trader Joe’s, a national chain that employs 50,000 workers across 42 states, has built a devoted base of customers since its founding in 1967 with reasonable prices, local flair, and a reputation for offering strong…