John,

Trader Joe’s has a reputation as a worker-friendly organization, but lately it has been anything but.

Rather than working together with the newly formed Trader Joe’s United, an independent union formed by workers from the bottom up, Trader Joe’s has been engaging in a variety of illegal and bad-faith union-busting activities. These activities include selective hiring and firing, spreading misinformation through captive audience meetings, and using retaliatory scheduling.

Now the Trader Joe’s in Hadley, Massachusetts, the first one to organize, has been hit with a decertification campaign. If it succeeds, it could destroy the union. Fellow employees are the public face of this drive, but if the company itself instigated the campaign amongst employees, this would be illegal.

If Trader Joe’s is not hiring union-busting consulting firms, they should have nothing to hide. Send a direct message to tell Trader Joe’s to open up their books and prove that they aren’t fueling this decertification campaign now!

The week the decertification campaign was announced, two Trader Joe’s employees went on a podcast hosted by Peter List, CEO of the far-right extremist Kulture Consulting agency. They talked with him about all the “help” they’ve been getting to organize the anti-union campaign. What sort of “help,” we wonder? From whom? And who initiated these contacts?

This questionable decertification campaign represents an existential threat to the fledgling union. Trader Joe’s crew members deserve to know the truth and be treated as equals at the bargaining table, as they work to negotiate a fair contract.

If Trader Joe’s keeps treating its “crew members” like just another Amazon or Starbucks, breaking up workers’ attempts to bargain for themselves, then what makes it any better than just any other store with turn-of-the-century artwork and a cute Polynesian theme?

Customer loyalty depends on the things that make Trader Joe’s culture unique. But if they really want to win our customer loyalty, they will treat Trader Joe’s United with greater respect and create win-win solutions.

Tell Trader Joe’s to demonstrate they’re not paying consultants to destroy the union and to live up to their worker-friendly reputation. Send your message now.

Thank you for standing with Trader Joe’s crew members, also known as workers!

- Amanda

Amanda Ford, Director
Democracy for America
Advocacy Fund