Posts tagged Trader Joe’s United
NLRB seeks to force Trader Joe’s to reopen New York wine store
January 25, 2024 // The NLRB said its general counsel is seeking remedies including compelling Trader Joe’s to reopen the store, which was located in New York City’s Union Square neighborhood and closed in 2022, and “make-whole relief” for its workers. The NLRB intends to encourage the union and Trader Joe’s to reach a settlement and has scheduled a hearing before an administrative law judge starting on May 7. Either party could appeal the judge’s decision to the board and ultimately to a federal appeals court. The UFCW hailed the NLRB’s decision to file the complaint as a victory for Trader Joe’s workers in their effort to gain leverage against Trader Joe’s.
UNION’S FIRST CONTRACTS: MORE TWISTS THAN A SEASON OF ‘STRANGER THINGS’
November 16, 2023 // Welcome to the wild world of collective bargaining, where the quest for a first-time collective bargaining agreement (CBA) often feels like an episode straight out of ‘Stranger Things’ – unpredictable, a little strange, and full of twists and turns.
Op-ed: Workplace Democracy Dies in Darkness at the NLRB
September 19, 2023 // A current unionization campaign shows the threat. After losing an April election at a New York City store, the Trader Joe’s United union claimed that management tainted the election. How? By informing their employees about the company’s views on unionization and putting limits on posting union flyers on bulletin boards and break-room tables. The union wants the NLRB to force Trader Joe’s to bargain, yet regardless of whether that happens, unions will take advantage of Cemex and launch a new wave of organizing campaigns, even ones they’d normally lose. The Cemex decision should be seen for what it really is: A blatant handout to unions — and a blatant assault on workers and job creators. The best answer to the NLRB ruling is the Employee Rights Act, which, among other things, would permanently ban card check and protect workers’ right to a secret ballot. Workers would get a second election instead of being forced into an unwanted union. Businesses and workers are also likely to challenge the NLRB in federal court. They deserve to succeed. If unions want to represent workers, they should win a vote in a free and fair election.
Why you should care about the Cemex decision
September 13, 2023 // Up until the recent Cemex decision, employers could deny recognition of these authorization cards. In such cases, the union would need to petition the NLRB for a secret ballot election. However, under the new standard set by Cemex, the responsibility to petition for a secret ballot election now rests with the employer (with a suggested 14-day time limit). If the employer fails to do so, the union will be certified based on the original card check. Additionally, if the NLRB determines that the employer engaged in unfair labor practices during the election period, it can reject the election petition and certify the union based on card check. So, what does all this mean? It’s now easier for private sector unions to use card check to gain a foothold in workplaces, potentially leading to an increase in coercive practices and intimidation.
Opinion: LES Trader Joe’s workers could still unionize New NLRB rule could upturn result
September 7, 2023 // According to the new union-friendly framework, if during the period between when workers file a unionization petition and hold an election, the board determines that the employees’ company engaged in unfair labor practices sufficient enough to have affected the vote, the NLRB can order the company to bargain with its workers, regardless of election results. A lawyer representing the Trader Joe’s United union, Seth Goldstein, told The Chief last week that he had filed more than a dozen unfair labor practices charges against the company with the NLRB since the workers first petitioned to unionize early this year.
Trader Joe’s sues employee union for trademark infringement
July 17, 2023 // Grocery-store chain Trader Joe's sued its employee union in Los Angeles federal court on Thursday, claiming the union's sales of merchandise related to the company violated its trademark rights. The grocer's lawsuit said Trader Joe's United sells tote bags, buttons, mugs and other products featuring the store's name and logo that are likely to confuse customers into thinking it made or endorsed them.
Op-ed: Trader Joe’s union is not what we bargained for
June 13, 2023 // First, as reported by the Freedom Foundation, SEIU and Workers United have also targeted my previous employer, Starbucks, with a multimillion-dollar unionization campaign featuring some of the very organizers involved in the Hadley Trader Joe’s campaign. Untold numbers of paid union “salts” — many fresh out of college with little to no work experience — have been deployed to get jobs at targeted employers and covertly organize them from the inside. Second, few resources are available to workers skeptical of or opposed to unionization. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) staff I’ve contacted have shown they only care about workers that want to unionize.
Federal labor regulators say Minneapolis Trader Joe’s illegally removed pro-union literature
June 7, 2023 // Workers from the four stores unionized with Trader Joe’s United continue to negotiate with the company over a first labor contract covering wages, benefits and working conditions. Ryther says discussions have been halting. Workers want to negotiate a single contract across all four stores and do so with a virtual option. The company wants to treat workers at each store as separate bargaining entities and has refused to bargain with a virtual hybrid option, Ryther said. Trader Joe’s United has filed a complaint with the NLRB alleging the company has bargained in bad faith for not coming to the table when union representatives tried to bargain with a virtual option.
Barnes & Noble employees unionize in Hadley
June 1, 2023 // The vote by the 18 booksellers and baristas at the store came following more than a month of employee-led pubic organizing activities, including a public reading of the employees' letter to the company on April 17 and a recent rally involving others in the labor movement. The store is the second in the 785-store chain to vote to unionize. A decision to pursue unionization came after the successful efforts by Trader Joe's United at that store at Hampshire Mall, and the employees of the Rutgers University Barnes & Noble Education store.
Tied vote stymies union effort at Lower East Side Trader Joe’s
April 24, 2023 // A two-day union vote at a Lower East Side Trader Joe’s ended in a tie, handing a loss to workers who supported the effort, the union announced Friday. The final vote at the Essex Crossing Trader Joe’s was 76-76, legally marking a win for the company, worker-led union Trader Joe’s United said in a news release. Despite the tie, however, worker-organizers at the store said they would continue to fight for a union.