Trader Joe’s accuses its union of bad-faith bargaining

Trader Joe’s this week filed a charge against its workers union, alleging bad-faith bargaining practices among members of Trader Joe’s United, according to National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) documents.

Union members said on Twitter Friday that they were informed of the filing at the end of a recent bargaining session with the grocer. Trader Joe’s United currently has two unionized stores, one in Hadley, Massachusetts, and the other in Minneapolis.

Trader Joe’s had previously filed an objection with the labor board over a recent union election in Louisville, Kentucky, putting that store’s unionization efforts on hold.

In this latest filing, the Monrovia, California-based grocer said the union has “failed and refused to bargain in good faith” since Nov. 29 because it is requiring approval from workers in Hadley and Louisville before reaching tentative agreements for the Minneapolis store, among other issues.

Trader Joe’s did not respond to a WGB request to comment on the objection.

A union representative, in a statement to WGB, called the grocer’s charges “baseless” and “simply more of the same.”

“Our employer has engaged in union-busting tactics designed to divide crew members and delay our efforts from the moment our first store announced their intent to unionize last May,” Trader Joe’s United said Friday. “We look forward to the NLRB’s ruling on these charges and, in the meantime, will continue to show up and negotiate in good faith with Trader Joe’s.”

Earlier this month, Trader Joe’s filed an objection, asserting that workers at the Louisville store were subject to “an atmosphere of fear and coercion” that interfered with a fair vote and that employees were pressured to vote in favor of unionizing. In January, Louisville Trader Joe’s workers voted 48-36 in favor of joining the independent Trader Joe’s United union.

Trader Joe’s store in Hadley voted to unionize in July, followed by a Minneapolis location not long after.

On Friday, the union said on Twitter that it had two days of negotiations with the retailer last week in Minneapolis, with workers from the three stores present despite the objection to Louisville’s union status.

“While our stores in MN and MA approach bargaining together, with the goal of a national contract, Trader Joe’s continues to bargain with each store separately,” the union noted. “So, after presenting our economic proposals in Hadley two weeks ago, we shared them again in MN.”

The union is seeking a starting hourly wage of $30, with adjustments for seniority, cost-of-living boosts and annual progression increases, as well as free health care, paid time off and retirement contributions.

Trader Joe’s United said representatives from the grocer dismissed those proposals, saying they aren’t “based in reality” and aren’t in line with other food retailers.

“In the end, Trader Joe’s did not engage with or counter our proposals, saying that they were not prepared to discuss economics,” the union said.