Trader Joe’s Threatened Workers Ahead Of Union Vote, Feds Allege

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.

The alleged threats came in the run-up to a January 2023 election at a Louisville, Kentucky, store where workers voted in favor of joining a new union, Trader Joe’s United. The company has challenged the election results by claiming the union illegally influenced the vote.

But according to the complaint filed Monday, prosecutors say it was Trader Joe’s that committed “unfair labor practices” meant to sway workers against unionizing.

The complaint states that an assistant store manager threatened workers with the loss of their raises as well as “a loss of flexibility with taking days off and scheduling work” if they voted for the union. It also alleges the company forced workers to “participate in one-on-one conversations” meant to hurt the union’s support.

The labor board will hold a trial on the allegations if officials can’t reach a settlement with Trader Joe’s.

A Trader Joe’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

Connor Hovey, a worker whom Trader Joe’s accused of illegally pressuring co-workers to vote for the union, said he was happy to see the complaint issued.

“Over the last year, Trader Joe’s has taken every opportunity to throw me under the bus and to make false claims in federal hearings that I violated federal labor law,” Hovey told HuffPost. “Today it’s vindicating to see that the company was just projecting their behavior onto me, and the government recognized that.”

This isn’t the first time labor board officials have accused Trader Joe’s of breaking the law in an effort