America has union fever, as more and more workers are organizing labor unions at their place of business.
Following successful votes to unionize by Activision Blizzard employees (ATVI), and more than 20 Starbucks locations (SBUX), workers at a Trader Joe’s in Hadley, Mass., are giving it a shot.
The workers sent a letter to the company Chief Executive Officer Dan Bane that was posted to Trader Joe’s Unite Twitter account Saturday.
It states that a majority of workers at the store support forming a union.
“We believe that forming a union is a necessary next step for us,” the letter reads.
No Outside Influence
The letter states that no outside union attempted to organize workers at the store. Instead, they organized themselves while reaching out to a union for “legal and logistical support.”
It also states that the unionization is in response to a letter that Bane sent in March of 2020 that argued against unionization.
“Since that letter arrived in our mailboxes, Trader Joe’s has continued to slash our benefits as our wages stagnate and our safety concerns go unaddressed,” the worker’s wrote.
“We’ve come to the conclusion that, in fact, a union is the only way to protect and improve our pay and benefits. The company’s actions have made that clear.”
The letter concludes by reminding the CEO of past pledges.
“Dan, you made another statement in your letter from two years ago. You pledged that if there are 30% of the Crew Members in any store that tell us they want to have a union vote, we will.
“Of course, we know that if 30% of the crew at any store wish to have an election, it will happen, because that's simply the law."
Trader Joe’s Welcomes A Vote
Trader Joe’s responded to a request for comment by the Boston Globe, by forwarding a letter that the company indicated was addressed to workers in the Hadley store.
It was written by the store's manager.
It indicated that the company is open for a fair vote and that it will not try to delay holding the election.
“I believe our store is a great place to work and our compensation, benefits and working conditions are the best in the grocery business,” the letter reads.
“But what really matters is what you believe. Whether or not to sign a petition to unionize or vote in favor of a union is your decision to make.”
Many different Trader Joe’s locations have previously attempted to unionize in the past, but so far the attempts have not been successful.
You Know Elizabeth Warren Is Happy About This
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) isn’t going to miss an opportunity to show her support for workers rights, and she took to Twitter to give the Trader Joe’s workers their props.
