NLRB Issues Complaint Against Trader Joe’s, Finds Merit in Union’s Charges of Retaliation, Interrogation, Captive Audience Meetings, and Unlawful Dress Code

According to a new complaint issued by the National Labor Relations Board, Trader Joe’s violated worker’s rights numerous times leading up to the union vote at the Hadley, MA location, the first store in the company to unionize.

On July 28, 2022, workers at the Hadley store voted to form Trader Joe’s United, the independent labor union of Trader Joe’s employees. Since that time, stores in Minneapolis, Louisville, and Oakland have joined the new union.

The NLRB complaint addresses multiple unfair labor practice charges filed by the union last year. The complaint alleges that Trader Joe’s maintained a discriminatory uniform policy and prohibited workers from wearing union pins. The complaint also alleges that Trader Joe’s retaliated against employees for their union activities, interrogated and threatened workers, and forced employees to attend unlawful captive audience meetings. In addition, the NLRB cites a number of breakroom postings from the employer containing misinformation about Trader Joe’s United.

Trader Joe’s United released the following statement regarding the NLRB’s complaint:

"It's incredibly vindicating to receive this NLRB complaint. It confirms what we've known from the beginning: that our employer, Trader Joe's, has grossly violated our rights as workers, and must be held accountable. This historic complaint is the result of many brave crew members speaking truth to power and doing the hard work of holding Trader Joe's to its own values. We will never stop fighting for our rights as workers, and we look forward to the NLRB’s decisions on the many other charges we have filed."

The NLRB issues a complaint when the Board finds merit to a charge. Since Trader Joe’s did not settle in this case, it will proceed to a hearing which is scheduled for October 17, 2023 in Hartford, CT.

This past May, the NLRB issued another complaint against Trader Joe’s, claiming the company violated worker’s rights by removing pro-union literature from the break room at the company’s Minneapolis location. A hearing on that case is scheduled for October 24, 2023 in Minneapolis.

For more information:

Read the Hadley NLRB complaint here.

Read TJU Background information here.