Prosecutors at the National Labor Relations Board have filed a complaint against Trader Joe’s, accusing the company of retaliating against pro-union workers and making illegal threats. The complaint alleges that managers at a Massachusetts store punished workers who tried to wear union pins by cutting their shifts short and threatening to withhold raises and worsen their working conditions if they unionized. The managers also provided workers with false and misleading information about the union. Trader Joe’s has not yet responded to the complaint.
The alleged violations took place at Trader Joe’s store in Hadley, Massachusetts, which became the company’s first store to unionize last year. Three other Trader Joe’s stores in Minnesota, California, and Kentucky have since unionized, but the company has challenged the results of the Kentucky union election.
The complaint, which was filed by workers affiliated with the Trader Joe’s United union, alleges that Trader Joe’s retaliated against workers for their involvement in the unionization efforts and sought to discourage collective bargaining. If the case goes to trial, it will be litigated unless a settlement is reached between the National Labor Relations Board and Trader Joe’s.
The complaint also highlights Trader Joe’s dress code policy, which the regional director claims is overly broad and discriminatory. The rulebook prohibits workers from wearing any clothing or accessories with added logos, statements, symbols, or messages unless approved by a manager. Workers alleged that managers used this rulebook to order them to remove union pins. The regional director argues that this policy could forbid workers from expressing union support through pins and other insignia, which would be illegal.
The complaint further accuses Trader Joe’s of providing workers with false information about the union and the bargaining process, which was displayed in the break room and on the company’s employee website. The regional director argues that Trader Joe’s should be required to retract these false statements and inform workers nationwide of the retraction.
This is not the first complaint brought against Trader Joe’s by the National Labor Relations Board. In May, another regional director accused the company of illegally removing union literature from a break room in a Minneapolis store that had organized. The company was accused of interfering with employees’ rights to organize.
Trader Joe’s is also in a dispute with Trader Joe’s United over merchandise being sold online by the union. The company claims that the merchandise, which bears the text “Trader Joe’s United” and the union’s logo, violates its trademarks and may cause confusion for consumers. The union’s lawyers argue that these claims are frivolous and part of the company’s ongoing anti-labor efforts.