Workers at a Trader Joe’s in Oakland, California voted 73 to 53 to unionize following a ballot count held by the National Labor Relations Board, reports HuffPost. In New York City, a similar vote ended in a tie.
Trader Joe’s has until the end of the week to challenge the results in Oakland. Once accepted, this would mark the fourth store that has unionized since last July.
In New York City, Trader Joe’s United, a union committee, issued a statement on the tie. In order for a union to win, it must get over 50 percent of the votes.
“We had endless conversations with our coworkers. We sent countless texts and phone calls, and gathered together to celebrate and connect about the future we wanted to see at work,” the group said. “But the reality is, the barriers to working people winning against corporations in this country are huge.”
Part of the reason for the rise of union sentiment at Trader Joe’s is that its people-centric priorities have shifted. In 2022 the company slashed retirement contributions for most employees. Workers told HuffPost that its decision reflected a general trend where the grocer has become less generous with its employees.
In the past, Trader Joe’s indicated that it was worried about the “rigid legal relationship” a union might bring but said it would abide by the results of any election. Full Story
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Image: Trader Joe’s