Workers at 'progressive' Trader Joe's still face rampant union busting | Working People
Two years ago, workers from several different Trader Joe\u2019s grocery stores joined the wave of unionization efforts spreading across the country. Workers in Hadley, Massachusetts, made history in 2022 by not only becoming the first Trader Joe\u2019s store to vote to unionize but also by opting to form an independent union, Trader Joe\u2019s United (TJU). However, like with Starbucks, Amazon, Medieval Times, and other companies where workers have been exercising their right to organize in recent years, rampant union busting has been part of the Trader Joe\u2019s story from the beginning. What\u2019s worse, as Alex Press writes in\xa0Jacobin, rather than be compelled to follow the law and play by the rules, the supposedly progressive grocery chain has joined Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX in attacking the very constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board. What is the current state of the union drive at Trader Joe\u2019s? What issues are employees (\u201ccrew members\u201d) still dealing with on the job, and what can supporters do to help? In this episode, Max speaks with Alec Plant, a\xa0worker organizer at the Lincoln and Grace Trader Joe\u2019s in Chicago and a member of Trader Joe\u2019s United.\xa0
Additional links/info below\u2026
- Trader Joe\u2019s United\xa0website,\xa0Twitter/X\xa0page, and\xa0Instagram
- Lauren Kaori Gurley, The Washington Post, \u201cAs Chicago Trader Joe\u2019s votes on unionizing, grocer fights other efforts\u201d
- Alex Press, Jacobin, \u201cTrader Joe\u2019s rejects the New Deal\u201d\xa0
- Dave Jameison, HuffPost, \u201cTrader Joe\u2019s threatened workers ahead of union vote, feds allege\u201d
- Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, \u201cWorkers at North Center Trader Joe\u2019s are first in Chicago to file for union election\u201d
- Steven Greenhouse, The New Republic, \u201cHow corporations crush new unions\u201d
- Steven Greenhouse, The Guardian, \u201cMajor US corporations threaten to return labor to \u2018law of the jungle\u2019\u201d
- Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / The Real News Network, "Want to unionize your workplace? These worker-organizers have some advice\u201d\xa0
- Leave us a voicemail\xa0and we might play it on the show!
- Labor Radio / Podcast Network\xa0website,\xa0Facebook\xa0page, and\xa0Twitter\xa0page
- In These Times\xa0website,\xa0Facebook\xa0page, and\xa0Twitter\xa0page
- The Real News Network\xa0website,\xa0YouTube\xa0channel,\xa0podcast\xa0feeds,\xa0Facebook\xa0page, and\xa0Twitter\xa0page
Jules Taylor, \u201cWorking People\u201d\xa0Theme Song\xa0
Studio Production: Max Alvarez
Post-Production: Jules Taylor
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