January 2, 2026

Grocery clerks at Trader Joe’s formed an independent union in a small town in western Massachusetts in 2022, and since then, they have had other wins at other locations. 

Trader Joe’s United (T.J.U) is an independent labor union that was founded and managed by the workers at Trader Joe’s. TJU was started on July 28, 2022. TJU has had other wins so far in Minneapolis in August, 2022; Louisville, KY, in January, 2023; and Oakland, CA, in April, 2023. A store in New York City fell short of a majority in a 76-76 tie vote. Working members from all unionized stores are working together to negotiate their first contract with Trader Joe’s. In the contract, they hope to improve working conditions and wages. They are helping workers at other stores to unionize, too. 

As Trader Joe’s workers continue to clock in every day, they also write contract proposals, build a movement, and help other stores organize. Trader Joe’s used to be a company that had great pay, benefits, and atmosphere, but with time, the benefits declined, wages started to decrease, and it became a more hostile place to work. When the pandemic hit, many Trader Joe’s workers had to continue to work, risking their health for a paycheck. It was clear that a union had to be created to have a voice. By standing up and unionizing, they hope to bring Trader Joe’s back to its original core values that had once made it a great place to work and shop.

The Trader Joe’s grocery store in Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood was the first store in California to unionize. In an election held on Thursday, April 20, 2023, workers voted 73-53 in favor of joining Trader Joe’s United. Workers complained about having to clean rat feces at their job, losing benefits like the guaranteed retirement plan which was cut in 2021, and during the pandemic, only being provided “hazard pay” starting in February, 2021, of an additional $4 per hour, which kept decreasing until it was ultimately cut to $2 per hour on May 17,  2021, and then ending the same month. Workers from the Oakland store claim that the company violated Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act by threatening to retaliate against any employee showing support for a union and by surveilling employees for any union activities. 

Trader Joe’s has a history of violating labor rights by firing individuals who show support for the union. 

The most recent charge of labor violation by Trader Joe’s was at the Essex Crossing Trader Joe’s located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Millie Lugo was unfairly fired. Company accusations against Millie include: false claims about attendance issues, issues with coworkers, customers, and “disrespectful” behavior. Workers believe that Millie was fired for expressing workplace concerns, a protected activity under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act. Her visible support for the union has made her a target. In the previous couple of months, management had acted in a hostile manner towards Millie, due to a comment she made that “managers can make the job hard.” The threats and bullying only got worse as managers made cruel comments that she was disliked in the workplace, and she wasn’t capable of being a manager. This had an emotional toll on Millie, and then they fired her from Trader Joe’s on August 30, 2025.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time that Trader Joe’s has fired an individual for supporting the union. The company fired Jamie Edwards on May 1, 2025. According to the Labor Force, he was a national leader who helped unionize the first Trader Joe’s and had worked there for more than 10 years. Jamie co-founded the union and was the national president, all while still working at the store. His willingness and bravery to speak up and organize led the company to retaliate against him. Management sent him home for wearing a union pin, gave him poor performance reviews for the past two years, and falsely accused him of acts of aggression. The union filed for unfair labor practice charges that are yet to be resolved. Other similar examples of unjust firing were in Hadley, Massachusetts, in 2022, where employees were fired because they were trying to organize a union at that location and showing support by wearing pins. And in Towson, Maryland, in August 2023, management also fired employees after they had successfully voted to form a union. 

In Pasadena, California, on September 8, 2025, in a ruling on the case Trader Joe’s Company v Trader Joe’s United, a panel of judges in a  3-0 decision dismissed a lawsuit against the union by the company.

According to Reuters, Trader Joe’s company had sued the union accusing of trademark infringement, for the merchandise they sold. The Union sold t-shirts, buttons, mugs, and reusable tote bags that looked similar to the chain’s distinctive red face and logo. Trader Joe’s bags include a bag with wine, cheese, and fruit with a cutting board, while the Union has a fist holding a box cutter and the word UNITED on it. Many see the union’s use of the Trader Joe’s logo as fair use. There was a backlash on the Trader Joe’s company that it tried to “weaponize the legal system” to sue and get some type of advantage in the labor fight. 

by Abigail Banales Sendano