Bagging Groceries & Bucking the System!
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Who is TJU?
Trader Joe’s United is an independent labor union 100% founded and powered by Trader Joe’s workers. All of TJU’s leadership roles are filled by Trader Joe’s crew members. They are bagging groceries and stocking shelves while building a movement, writing contract proposals, and helping other stores organize. It’s not just a catchphrase – they literally are the union.
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TJU History
The Trader Joe’s United union wave began in Hadley, a small town in Western Massachusetts. On July 28th, 2022, the crew at that store accomplished something no one else had done before. They unionized the first Trader Joe’s, and in the process created Trader Joe’s United.
So far, Trader Joe’s United has four locals under its umbrella: Hadley, MA, Minneapolis, MN, Louisville, KY, and Oakland, CA.
A worker-led movement.
Trader Joe’s has long had a reputation for being a “progressive” employer, but in the last decade, Trader Joe’s has shifted from a workplace that was truly an outlier in the industry – with incredible pay, benefits, and atmosphere – to a company with increasing turnover, declining benefits, and stagnating wages.
Like thousands of other “essential” workers, the pandemic made workplace changes even more striking. Trader Joe’s crew members risked their health and their families’ health to bring a paycheck home.
The internal changes at TJ’s and the lasting effects of a global pandemic made it clear that workers needed a say in the workplace, and as a union they could have that voice. By unionizing, workers hope to bring Trader Joe’s back into alignment with its own core values, which had made it a great place to work and shop in the first place.
MISSING:
Crew members from all locals are working together to negotiate a first contract with Trader Joe’s. They are determined to keep pressuring Trader Joe’s until they win a contract that improves the lives and working conditions of TJ’s workers.
Unfortunately, Trader Joe’s is not as committed to getting that contract as Trader Joe’s United. While both sides began negotiating in November 2022, Trader Joe’s has refused to sit down with TJU since April 2023.
Trader Joe’s
Trader Joe’s refusal to bargain isn’t a surprise. Since the moment TJU announced its campaign in Hadley in May 2022, Trader Joe’s has rolled out the same union-busting tactics used by Starbucks and Amazon: intimidation, coercion, captive audience meetings, and retaliatory firings. They’re even suing TJU for selling merch with the union logo on it.
Despite massive interference and attacks on their right to organize, this diverse group of young people has won historic victories in unlikely places and continues to grow worker power. Crew members across the country are interested in organizing their stores, and there are active campaigns in about a dozen locations right now.
Support TJU!
Support TJU!
Trader Joe’s United is funded and operated by worker organizers. A purchase from the TJU store directly supports organizing efforts and future campaigns.
