Trader Joe’s Workers in Chicago File for Union Election

Employees at a Trader Joe’s in Chicago, IL have filed for a union election with Trader Joe’s United, the independent union of Trader Joe’s workers. If successful, they will be the first unionized location in Illinois and the fifth unionized Trader Joe’s nationwide.

Workers at the Lincoln Avenue Trader Joe’s (Store #688) announced their union drive during a “march on the boss” on April 7, where they requested voluntary union recognition in a statement delivered to management. 

On April 8, workers filed a petition for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board. An election date has not yet been set, but a pre-election rally is planned for April 18 at 7 p.m. at 4100 N. Damen Ave. in Chicago. The public is encouraged to attend.

Trader Joe’s United is an independent and unaffiliated labor union founded by workers in Hadley, MA in July 2022 when that store became the first in the chain to unionize. The Hadley win was quickly followed by a landslide victory at the company’s Minneapolis, MN location where the union prevailed in a 55-5 vote two weeks later. In 2023, stores in Louisville, KY and Oakland, CA also voted to join TJU.

A vote at the grocer’s Essex Crossing store in New York City ended in a tie, which is a loss for the union. Workers at that store are currently waiting for a decision from the NLRB on whether they will receive a bargaining order under the Board’s recent Cemex ruling.

While Trader Joe’s has a long standing reputation as a progressive company, the company has rolled out well-documented anti-union tactics at all locations that have filed for a union election. 

Most recently, Trader Joe’s has faced significant public backlash for asserting that the National Labor Relations Board itself is unconstitutional. Trader Joe’s made this claim as an affirmative defense during an NLRB hearing in which the employer is accused of multiple unfair labor practices, including the unlawful termination of a union supporter. Trader Joe’s defense echoes similar arguments made by SpaceX and Amazon in separate legal filings.

“For me, organizing is about protecting our workplace community,” said Dan Poppen, a crew member and organizer at the Lincoln Avenue location. “Crew members are what make Trader Joe’s exceptional and we deserve a stronger voice in decisions that directly affect our lives. Every crew member should feel secure in their finances, their safety, their health, and their future. In coming together, I believe that future is possible.”