NLRB Hearing Officer’s Report Recommends Union Certification for Trader Joe’s United in Louisville, KY

Today, workers at the Trader Joe’s location in Louisville, KY are celebrating after the release of a long-awaited report from the NLRB recommending the certification of their union.

On January 26, 2023, crew members at the Louisville Trader Joe’s voted 48-36 to join Trader Joe’s United, making Louisville the third store to vote to join the independent union founded last year.

However, one week after the vote, Trader Joe’s filed several objections to the election with the National Labor Relations Board, claiming union supporters created “an atmosphere of fear and coercion and interfered with the laboratory conditions necessary to conduct a free and fair election.” 

An NLRB hearing on the employer’s objections concluded on March 31, 2023. The Hearing Officer’s report on these objections, released today, concluded with a recommendation “that the Employer’s objections be overruled in their entirety and that an appropriate certification issue.”

According to the report, Trader Joe’s failed to provide evidence to support the company’s objections. Trader Joe’s has until June 12, 2023 to file any exceptions to the report. Barring any further delays, the union anticipates certification after June 12.

“We are thrilled that the Hearing Officer in this case has recommended certification of our union. This report validates what we’ve known all along: that these objections were nothing more than a baseless delay tactic, intended to erode union support and demoralize the crew. Instead, we’re on the verge of certification and stronger than ever,” said Connor Hovey, a crew member and organizer at the Louisville store. “Trader Joe’s shows its true values when it engages in union-busting tactics like these, and the company needs to know that this behavior won’t be tolerated by the crew or the customers we serve.”

Read the full Hearing Officer’s Report here.