On Thursday, employees at a Trader Joe’s supermarket in Massachusetts became the latest workers at a major company to approve a labor union.
The store in Hadley is the first Trader Joe’s with an employees union.
Workers at two other company locations have initiated unionization efforts.
The vote, which was counted in front of management and employees by National Labor Relations Board agents, passed 45-31 with one void.
The workers in Hadley are organizing under the name Trader Joe’s United, which will be an independent union and not affiliated with a larger existing union.
The workers celebrated the moment on Twitter by tweeting, "We won!"
WE WON!!! pic.twitter.com/T0lXTtOykp
— Trader Joe's United (@TraderJoesUnite) July 28, 2022
“This victory is historic, but not a surprise,” the union said in a statement. “Since the moment we announced our campaign, a majority of the crew have enthusiastically supported our union, and despite the company's best efforts to bust us, our majority has never wavered.”
Now that it's been approved, the next step is putting together a negotiating committee to hammer out a contract with the California-based company.
The company has a week to file an objection.
