Protect the National Labor Relations Board — Trader Joe's United! (2024)

FAQs

What is the NLRB complaint against Trader Joe's? ›

Trader Joe's, 373 NLRB No. 73, 16-CA-291179 (Published Board Decision) This is a decision by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) affirming an Administrative Law Judge's (ALJ) ruling that Trader Joe's violated Sections 8(a)(1) and 8(a)(4) of the National Labor Relations Act.

Trader Joe's has withheld benefits from union stores, fired union supporters, spread misinformation about our union, interrogated workers, and more. TJ's legal assault on the NLRB is a transparent attempt to avoid being held accountable for their unlawful actions.

A new class action lawsuit claims Trader Joe's sells a gluten-free bagel that isn't actually gluten-free. Plaintiff Shaianne Starks filed the lawsuit against Trader Joe's Co. June 28 in a California federal court, alleging violations of false advertising laws.

A California federal court ordered grocery store chain Trader Joe's to pay more than $112,000 in legal fees after it tried to claim the defendant Trader Joe's United, the labor union representing its employees, infringed its trademark.

Labor board officials have accused the grocer of using illegal tactics to sway workers against unionizing. Prosecutors at the National Labor Relations Board say Trader Joe's illegally interrogated workers and threatened to take away their pay raises when they were trying to form a union last year.

If you file a charge, the NLRB will fully investigate your charge and issue a decision on the merits of your allegations. If your job-related issues involve other laws, an NLRB agent will refer you to the appropriate agency or agencies.

In the pivotal 1937 Jones and Laughlin case, the Supreme Court saved the Act in a 5-to-4 decision upholding its constitutionality.

It is unlawful for an employer to interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of their rights. For example, employers may not respond to a union organizing drive by threatening, interrogating, or spying on pro-union employees, or by promising benefits if they forget about the union.

The NLRB majority concluded that in order to make workers whole, the Board has the authority to award compensatory damages.

This is a lie. Trader Joe's was purchased in 1979 by a German conglomerate, is entirely managed in the US, and has never been resold.

What is a weakness of Trader Joe's? ›

Limited product variety: One weakness of Trader Joe's is its limited product variety compared to other grocery store chains. While the company is known for its curated selection of unique and innovative products, its offerings may only meet the needs of some customers.

In his video, he calls out Trader Joe's, which is known for selling organic, for engaging in alleged union-busting tactics and siding with companies run by the oft-maligned billionaires. It seems that he's encouraging folks to boycott the grocery store chain, and added that TJ's also supports the state of Israel.

Others have taken the opposite tack—to the extreme. Led by Elon Musk's SpaceX, and joined by Amazon, Trader Joe's, and Starbucks, these companies are engaged in a legal battle trying to have the NLRB declared unconstitutional, by resurfacing long-rejected constitutional arguments about the agency's structure.

There were several allegations that the store retaliated against employees due to the forming of the union. The Hadley location was the first Trader Joe's where workers voted to unionize. However, a group of workers at the Hadley store wants to decertify from the union, Trader Joe's United.

Examples of employer conduct that violates the law:

Promising benefits to employees to discourage their union support. Transferring, laying off, terminating, assigning employees more difficult work tasks, or otherwise punishing employees because they engaged in union or protected concerted activity.

Under the NLRA, it is illegal for your employer to:

Prohibit you from talking about or soliciting for a union during non-work time, such as before or after work or during break times; or from distributing union literature during non-work time, in non-work areas, such as parking lots or break rooms.

Weeks after admitting that some of its international-themed product labels might have fallen short of an “attempt at inclusiveness,” the grocery store chain Trader Joe's is rejecting criticism of the labels — some with names like Trader José and Trader Ming's — as racist.