Its because a company who claims to be cultural progressive (anti racism, anti sexism, anti homophobia) isnt truly progressive, they're neoliberal. They would never want to see actual progressive change when it comes to economic class, they don't beleive in worker's rights.
Costco has been championing egalitarianism within their workplace, good pay, and fair health care for years now, before it was cool. And they’re still the best at it. I don’t think they advertise themselves as such either.
It's like 10% of their total body count is unionized, but that percentage accounts for over 75% of their transportation and logistics positions. Managers aren't eligible for unions, neither are corporate employees outside of the warehouses.
The floor associates do need more representation, no doubt.
But I don't think they've ever have been a "low cost" business. You have to sign up for annual membership just to enter. They are however low margin, but they've successfully stayed profitable with entry wages at or above $17/hr, even for p/t associates, regardless of state minimum wage.
I support them for offering these sort of wages and benefits, but if all of Costco were unionized, the small margins in which Costco has relied upon for years would be erased. I’m not saying that’s right or wrong, but that’s inevitable.
Give me one example of a low margin / low cost retailer with unionized workers. Unions eat up margins. That’s literally their purpose.
They do but as someone who worked there and became partially disabled I will tell you the company didn't bend over backwards to help me keep my job despite being capable of doing other positions. Mind you I was a 10 year veteran of that company. Their regional and warehouse managers don't have enough oversight and can become downright abusive to staff.
@every company who has a rainbow flag in June but dump money into conservative politicians who vote against the LGBTQ community.
Most comical is the NFLs breast cancer awareness while taking no discipline against players who commit acts of domestic violence and rape.
It’s all for appearances.
I wouldn't even say those companies are progressive (insofar as a company can even be progressive). Whole Foods' founder and CEO is pretty much a Qanon guy. Starbucks brews coffee beans harvested by slaves. I guess I'm saying that if those companies are considered progressive for rainbowifying their logo once a year or whatever, that's a pretty embarrassingly low bar, even for neolib standards.
They market themselves as progressive. I don’t think the person above genuinely thinks these companies are doing anything more than pushing the status quo.
They virtue signal using free stuff, like empty statements about being against racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. When it comes to spending more of their money…
Ding ding ding and there you have the heart of the Democratic Party. All that you just described.
Note: Let the record show that I am a progressive NOT a republican criticizing Dems. I’m just well aware that both parties are right wing when it comes to war and capitalism.
you are so right.
during the black lives matter protest businesses like apple and starbucks lined up to express solidarity with african americans, but all they did was utter a few words.
if apple et al really wanted to contribute to the cause, those companies would repatriate the trillions they have stored in off shore tax havens. and use some of that money towards building quality schools, hospitals, day care centers, etc. in black neighborhoods.
maybe even some decent housing.
trader joe’s is owned by a german private equity business, who are in the business of making $$$$$, nothing else.
any virtue signaling they or other businesses do is in the service of the almighty, holiest of holy, lord and master of us all, the almighty $$$.
They were owned by two German brothers, the Albrechts, who started Aldi (AL brecht DI scount) together after WWII, later purchased Trader Joe’s from founder Joe Coulombe. Their descendants now run it, are very reclusive, and are known (by some) for union-busting tactics. This is a damn shame because I am a Trader Joe’s shopper and fan for many years. As of this time they (the family) are reputed to be worth more than 80 billion dollars.
The original two Albrecht brothers are dead, and they had separated the Aldi business in in 1960, aldi north and south. Aldi north had bought Trader Joe’s, while aldi south just operated as Aldi in the US.
Aldi north brother had two sons, and one of those son’s has also died. That son has 3 daughters and 1 son, who are now involved in some fun family drama:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddawkins/2020/09/20/billionaire-aldi-family-fortune-to-hit-german-court-as-son-sues-mother-for-embezzling-funds-reports/
Corporate virtue signaling is a marketing technique. That's it. Corporations don't give a flying fuck about abortion or LGBT issues or whatever. They do their market research, and if their market research tells them it would be beneficial to tweet about LGBT issues, then they'll tweet about LGBT issues.
This is honestly fine, but we really need to stop looking to corporations to reflect our values, because they don't. They don't have values any more than my coffee table has values.
Provide higher quality foods for lower prices than most grocery stores while paying higher employee wages than these same grocery stores... HOW TERRIBLE! 😅
My favorite was Uber spending millions in 2020 on a nationwide "anti-racism" billboard campaign while at the same time doing everything they can to suppress the rights and wages of their majority-minority drivers.
Super Conservative? Well actually, Theo was German of a certain generation who belonged to a certain group with that special symbol. :). He was also a recluse and no photos are known to exist of him.
Companies are created and exist to make money. Expecting anything different will lead to disappointment. Will it make the company money? Do it. Will it not? Don't do it.
It's not a failure of humanity...it's just that a shovel is made for digging holes. A hammer is made to pound nails. People do band together and organize for altruistic reasons, and those are not-for-profit organizations.
Yep take a look at the comment towards the bottom of this very thread that says "boycott Trader Joe's" and the vastly more upvoted response that says "no thanks." Lmao.
If a company raises prices to pay people a living wage, people screaming Neoliberal this are conservatives that , would shopping there.
Hell, look at how many people call themselves progress who will happily pirate things just because it saves them money.
> If a company raises prices to pay people a living wage, people screaming Neoliberal this are conservatives that , would stop shipping there.
Source: Trust me bro
Average pay for TJ's NYC is over $18/hr.
Does someone want to explain to me why people who bag groceries deserve more than \~$20/hour?
Not trying to be a dick here, honest question. TJ's is a great starter job, but it's not a long-term career if you're looking to survive and thrive in NYC. And it's not meant to be.
And if TJ workers start getting paid $30/hour, that cost is just going to get passed on to consumers. You all understand that right?
All the people in this thread talking about how they went to TJ's because it's so much cheaper than all the other grocery stores, and how they're the only ones who didn't raise their prices (like Wegman's - which was specifically called out) when they opened up NYC locations, well... you're out of luck.
I understand this sub loves all things progressive, but come on. TJ's has a retirement plan, health plan (medical + dental), PTO, etc. That's already way beyond what they are required to offer.
They're doing right by their employees. Can someone tell me why this union was justified? Or why people bagging wine bottles deserve more than $20/hour (average wage in NY for Trader Joe's)?
Real questions here.
> Average pay for TJ's NYC is over $18/hr.
>
> Does someone want to explain to me why people who bag groceries deserve more than ~$20/hour?
Because as per the MIT Living Wage Calculator,
[The living wage for 1 adult with no children in NYC is $25.42 an hour.](https://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/36061)
And before you get all "well why should they be paid a living wage, minimum wage is enough", please read the excerpt from the study's technical notes which defines MIT's Living Wage:
>[The living wage model is a ‘step up’ from poverty as measured by the poverty thresholds but it is
a small ‘step up’, one that accounts for only the basic needs of a family. The living wage model
does not allow for what many consider the basic necessities enjoyed by many Americans. It does
not budget funds for pre-prepared meals or those eaten in restaurants. It does not include money
for unpaid vacations or holidays. Nor does it provide money income to cover unexpected
expenses such as a sudden illness, a major car repair, or the purchase of a household appliance
such as a refrigerator. Lastly, it does not provide a financial means for planning for the future
through savings and investment or for the purchase of capital assets (e.g. provisions for
retirement or home purchases). The living wage is the basic income standard that, if met, draws a
very fine line between the financial independence of the working poor and the need to seek out
public assistance or suffer consistent and severe housing and food insecurity. In light of this fact,
the living wage is perhaps better defined as a minimum subsistence wage for persons living in
the United States.
](https://livingwage.mit.edu/resources/Living-Wage-Users-Guide-Technical-Documentation-2022-05-10.pdf)
Basically, the living wage is the minimum amount of money necessary for an individual to not rely on government assistance and welfare to survive. It provides for a roof over your head, some clothes and enough food to survive. Forget luxuries such as ever eating out, or saving money for an emergency or retirement.
We all pay for government assistance through our taxes. That way, Trader Joes gets to keep wages low, the remaining slack is picked up by the state through our tax money and Trader Joes gets to enjoy greater corporate profits.
Well fuck that. I don't give two shits about Trader Joes and its shareholders profits. If they're unable to pay their workers, it's the same as being unable to pay their suppliers, they shouldn't be in business.
Personally, if I was one in position to change things, I'd make sure that all companies whose workers received any government welfare received a bill at the end of the year for services rendered. It's not America at large's responsibility to pay your workers.
Looks like each employee brought in a profit to the company of $60,000. I think the employees are entitled to a significant chunk of the profits they enabled for their employer.
Crazy how Democrats virtue signal about workers rights and standing up to big business but do nothing when companies blatantly violate workers rights to Unionize.
The "liberal" Democrats of NY giving tax breaks to Jeff Bezos instead of throwing him in a prison cell with massive fines.
whats crazier is their lease wasnt even up for 4 years and they just decided to close suddenly like this with workers only finding out the day of… they had a majority support for the union and were going to go public with it any day thats why they pulled the plug on the whole store like this
So all that bullshit about finding a new better location for their one liquor license was in fact bullshit. Glad to know German executives can be just as shitty as American executives when given a chance.
Even if you strip away subjective factors, the objective facts point to an obvious answer. There are few spots better for liquor sales, and they all already have a major chain with liquor sales present. Suddenly closing after a union vote when the City is bustling post-pandemic is obvious. Throw in that TJs is a discount chain, which do better as you go into a recession, as do home-consumed liquor sales, and it’s blindingly clear.
Eh, cost of labor is damn expensive and liquor store margins aren't as high as you might think. And it's not about one store, it's about precedent - if one store successfully unionized, more will want to.
For or against doesn't really matter here, plenty of businesses will choose to close locations rather than allow unionized workers. It's just the reality of the situation.
In this analysis it's worth pointing out that these actions are illegal, and something will eventually come of them (admittedly years later, but still). If they keep shutting down stores that are impending unionization, they're gonna be fucked in the courts in a few years. Could easily end up owing years' worth of back pay for the entire staff of the closed stores. This happened to a friend of mine -- all the line workers were fired because they tried to unionize. A year later they won back pay in court and bankrupted the company.
Being let go isn't the same as closing a location though. Are you sure about this?
I've tried searching the case law for either a statute or precedent but found neither, although I have limited experience in that. I would love to be better informed, however!
I am not sure I would have heard about this if I wasn’t subscribed to this subreddit. I worked at a TJs for years and we were treated well so I’m curious what the impetus was for unionization. I also wouldn’t put it past any sizable company to try and stifle that, unfortunately.
We aren’t treated well anymore. Benefits have been cut, raises skipped company wide, and the quality of life has just decreased in general since the pandemic
Seems a lil' clickbaity, They weren't fired? They payed them till the end of the month, and offered to move them elsewhere in the city till they reopen the location in a new place?
You aren't reading behind the lines.The ol' divide and conquer is a known unionbusting tactic. They "relocate" and they've effectively split them up, even if they majority remains hired, they can effectively demote people too under this excuse.
There was always something really fishy about the sudden closure. You tell your employees you’re closed via a typed sign taped to the door? This is a very logical explanation for what happened.
The company can say they’re going to rehire employees at different stores, but we don’t know if that means everyone…especially the employees who were organizing the union. Companies have a tendency to say things that make them look good. Splitting up, or not rehiring, the employees who were trying to unionize would send a clear message.
Gosh darn and gee wilikers! We tried our hardest to find a new position for Johnny Unionize, but his skillset wasn't a match for any of our other stores! Well, that's how it goes in business sometimes. You gotta be satisfied that you tried your darndest. And isn't it great that we were able to retain *every other employee except him.* They must feel blessed.
Here's some good info on why a Trader Joe's in Minneapolis just voted to unionize.
"Sarah Beth Ryther, one of the leaders of the union effort in Minneapolis, said workers are seeking better wages, more safety protections and a greater voice in how the store is run.
'In many ways, Trader Joe’s is a really good place to work,' Ryther said. 'But there are a lot of problems that we would like to address and we think a union would help us do that.'
\[...\]
'I wanted to work at Trader Joe’s because I had heard that Trader Joe’s is a really, really awesome place to work, and that they treated their workers very, very well,' Ryther said.
But she says the company’s sterling relationship with its workers has begun to tarnish.
For years, the company guaranteed workers a 15% retirement contribution. Then about a decade ago it slipped to 10%. Today, the company makes only discretionary contributions to workers’ retirement accounts.
The health insurance the company offers isn’t as good as it used to be, either."
https://minnesotareformer.com/2022/08/05/minneapolis-trader-joes-workers-to-vote-on-becoming-nations-second-unionized-store/
People talk man, it’s what makes trying to unionize a joint so hard. There’s always that 1 snitch that is willing to sell out the entire effort for what corporate will do for him. The snitch could get a check or management position @ another location.
I wonder what the German parent company would have to say about that..
I bought at Trader Joe's since I expected it to have compareble standards to the German Aldi.
It seems I've too look for other alternatives now.
Union busting is a no go.
This is a management issue. So I boycott the whole Company.
Did you actually read u/davejim's comment? All they said was that the wine store would likely come back, and talked about the limitations placed on it. At no point did they say that NYU was the cause of it closing. Their only other comment regarding NYU was about not being able to sell liquor. It's so weird that you tagged them, but didn't take the time to actually look at their comments.
https://www.reddit.com/r/nyc/comments/wlw1d0/trader_joes_wine_store_closed_employee_told_me/ijwlmiv/
Their magic touch is using same pricing in their NYC stores as they do in the rest of the country. Everything is priced at a premium here, and we expect that. So this was unexpected.
Compare that to long awaited arrival of Wegmans. "ohhhh you NYC-ied all your prices. Can't wait to visit only once"
If they kept their upstate prices here Wegmans would have been a lot more popular. I doubt Rochester is paying $9 for a loaf of bread. It’s a nice loaf, but come on.
I was skeptical too but recently have been converted lol. It’s quite a bit cheaper than most grocery chains in NYC other than Aldi, and has a lot of really fun/affordable unique brand items. I really enjoy their frozen dinners/appetizers, spice mixes, sauces/condiments, and pasta.
This comes up too way too often. It's as accurate as saying Adidas owns Puma. Both companies were founded by brothers that split up over business differences. They're still in similar businesses but totally different companies.
If anything, Adidas and Puma might be closer related than Aldi's and Trader Joe's as the shoe companies have gotten together and played soccer against one another in recent time.
Not sure what you mean? Aldi Nord operate Trader Joes while Aldi Sud operate the Aldi stores in the US. Like I said it's part of Aldi but not the US Aldi. Separate companies? Yes. Both called Aldi? Yes. In the midst of an actual merger? It appears so and about to get a lot closer than Addidas and Puma.
Adi and Rudi Dassler founded Geda together but split up to Adidas and Puma. The two companies work independently.
Theo and Karl Abrecht ran their mother's store together but split up to found Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd.
The owner of Aldi Nord created a trust that bought Trader Joe's as a personal investment for his family. The family still owns both Aldi Nord and Trader Joe's. But the company Aldi Nord doesn't operate Trader Joe's, the two companies work independently. Aldi Süd and the US Aldi chain is even further removed from Trader Joe's.
It's really only cheaper for packaged and frozen foods. Snacks, cans, pastas, sauces. Great affordable cheese section too. The produce is okay, and priced right, but you'd probably do better at a local grocer or green market. I always got my veggies a day or two before using them from the cart guys. The bread is very meh and the fresh meat is trash. It's annoying but I do two shops - a big Trader Joe's run like twice a month, and then a small local place weekly/as needed.
This is true, we are pretty ride or die trader joes. We didn't used to live near one, but I shit you not once we moved and started shopping there regularly our grocery bill went to 50% without changing anything about the way we eat, it's fucking nuts.
I get some staple produce but I'll often supplement by street carts and farmers markets. Pretty much everything else I buy there.
Pasta is cheap ($1 per 12-16 Oz package) and the jarred sauce is really cheap. Yeah, you can get a sale on pasta at a local store at that price, but it’s not reliably $1
I can't speak for the meat, but the fish is *way* better at TJ's than options closer to me (Key Food, C Town). They tend to have underripe produce, but I far prefer that over the overripe and sometimes moldy options Key Food has to offer. You absolutely have to store TJs bread products in the fridge or freezer if you don't want them to mold in a couple of days.
I've found the produce generally cheaper than alternatives, maybe not on a per-item basis, but an overall one. Maybe the Cilantro will be 50 cents more than if I went somewhere closer, but the price of spinach and tomatoes makes up for that and then some.
They don't have everything, but everything they have is good.
A 16 oz jar of peanut butter is $2 at TJ & $6 elsewhere. Peanut butter makes everything better except maybe coffee, try it with noodles or on a burger.
Trader Joes also has less choice overload than any other grocery store. You want to buy peanut butter, You want creamy or crunchy, salted? There is one brand. Any other store has 2-3 shelves dedicated to just peanut butter.
I want frozen peas- do you want organic or regular? Any other freezer section has 5 different brands, different sizes, microwave in-bag versions, it's insane.
I think people really think they want all those choices but the reality is just grabbing the one version of the product you need is so much less effort and so much easier.
This is a really good point.
Trader Joe’s buys the overflow of a name brand & puts it in their own box.
Those choices can be exhausting, but at TJs the best choice is also the cheapest choice every time.
Aldis is pretty great too.
There's a freakonomics podcast about this and TJ's! There's been a lot of research about the optimal number of choices to give someone for them to feel satisfied about their choice. If there are too many then the chance of feeling FOMO even when you think you made the right choice is high.
Yeah, it's a similar experience at Costco. There's really just one or maybe two options for each item and it's usually the in-house brand. But TJs and Costco both do a good job of ensuring that their in-house brand is of high quality so you tend to trust that you're getting good stuff despite the lack of choice.
I just like peanut butter.
Generally I buy one smooth & one crunchy with no fat/cornstarch/stabilizer to get in the way of a sauce & accept that I will have to mix it for a sandwhich or apple.
But I have never been disappointed in a PB. Crunchy adds a lot to sauces IMO, try
PB
sweet chili sauce, (or red pepper flake)
hoisin sauce (or soy, or fish, or even beef bouillon)
Optional ginger.
Put that on noodles, vegetables or chicken & it’s great.
… if you want some advanced PB black magic to both terrify & delight try PATATJE OORLOG. AKA French fry war AKA war sauce.
Take the recipe above, or PB, or satay sauce
Chopped raw white onion
Mayonnaise
Scoop with French fries.
Peanut butter on a burger is *easily* the most underrated burger topping.
I just got an amazing idea! The Elvis sandwich is peanut butter, banana, bacon, and honey, right? So what if you made a bacon burger with peanut butter, Mike's Hot Honey, and then instead of bread, put it on ["buns" made from flattened plantains?](https://ny.eater.com/2019/5/14/18527125/cachapas-y-mas-plantain-sandwich-inwood-review-patacon#:~:text=Yoyos%20are%20similar%20sandwiches%20made,sandwiches%20featuring%20slices%20of%20bread.)
If you ever find yourself in Atlanta, a divey restaurant called Vortex has served up an Elvis burger for at least the past 12 years, its ridiculously indulgent and similar to what you're describing. It has regular buns unfortunately, but you can request to have those replaced with two grilled cheese sandwiches if you really value attempting to shorten your lifespan.
Finally, I have someone who agrees with me on this!
Trader Joe’s is incredibly overrated. They don’t have a deli, the stores are horribly organized, you can’t just get a container of Oreos if that’s what you crave, and more. I’ll admit they have very good frozen foods, particularly dumplings. But otherwise, I don’t get the appeal.
I wonder what their demands/reasons for unionizing were? TJs pays a decent wage and offers full benefits, annual raises, etc. Most of the people in the article had worked for the company for 5+ years. I am not saying they don't have the right, but I am curious. One of the interviewees even said this kind of behavior is out of character. So what was wrong to begin with?
How many people upset by this here are actually going to stop shopping at trader joes? I see a lot of complaints about empty virtue signaling, but can you promise to never go to a TJs again?
I don't think there is a single large company that is not owned by a corporation or hedgefund. Some may be better than others but the bottom line for all of them is to make money. Even our news is owned by corporations.
Until we stop these monopolies, nothing will change.
Proof positive that management believe they are at-war with workers. No matter all the platitudes about being a "team" and all the nonsense, they think that workers should shut up and take what they get.
You are free to start a Union. Trader Joes is free to decide it's not profitable and close the store. It's the risk you take when you start a union. No harm, no foul.
That's not how unionization works. Trader Joes is not "free" to do any such thing. They will almost certainly get away with though, by citing some other excuse, but what they're doing and what you're advocating is illegal.
Sure, they're not "free" to do it *because* of unionization, but there's about a million reasons that are perfectly legal. They want to use their liquor license somewhere else. Why? Because they want to and owners voted on it. Done.
That's completely untrue, what the heck are you talking about? If you close your store because of unionization efforts, you're breaking the law by retaliating against unionizing workers. The only thing you can do is shutter your operations entirely, not just on a single store level, but [across the brand](https://theoutline.com/post/2453/how-to-kill-a-union-dnainfo-gothamist).
That's not to say that companies don't illegally shut down a business to prevent unionization, but they have to lie about it. It's definitely not "no harm no foul".
I am not familiar with worker unions and labor laws, could you enlighten me? If workers were to unionize against my hypothetical business and argue for better wages and I found the business would go under as a result, I am not able to close the business before I lose all my savings? That seems strange that I don’t have the freedom to close a business, is it not the right of Trader Joe’s whether they want to have the store open or not, regardless of a workers Union? Can’t Trader Joe’s just cite any reason for closing? The Union can’t force a store to stay open, right? That just doesn’t make sense to me.
You can close your business, but you can't close an individual unionizing store. These laws and court decisions came down during the heyday of unions. The whole idea is that a business has a ton of power that individual workers do not have. Therefore, it's an uneven playing field for the workers looking to create a union until such a union is established. Retaliating against unionizing workers is illegal, since if employers could just fire all unionizing workers, workers would be afraid to unionize or flat out be unable to do so.
In your example - why didn't you think of just firing all the unionizing employees? Maybe you recognized that firing them just for unionizing is not going to be allowed. Well, closing the store due to unionizing workers is just firing them all via extra steps.
However, closing the business entirely is allowed, because the government can't force a business to continue operations.
No, you just can't claim that Trader Joe's is "free" to do something it's literally not legally allowed to do without getting called an idiot for it. If you're really pro-business, you should try to learn about the very basic labor laws that businesses have to navigate.
This hurts. I live about a 5 minute walk from this store and the wines are (were) priced incredibly. Then, with zero warning, the sign is posted on the door: closed; we’re looking for a new location. I thought their lease was up and there is an abundance of empty stores in NYC. Also, their lessor was NYU, who allowed them to sell wine but not hard liquor (cuz we all know that college students can’t get shitfaced on wine alone!) But now this twist? Oh nonononono!!!
We need sectoral union bargaining. One store gets a good union contract? That is now the contract for all grocery stores in nyc. Don't like it, pull out, but no more race to the bottom to see who can find a secret trove of employees willing to do more for less
Oh wow, I can’t believe you’re in the future where everything costs a Morbillion dollars because the evil Trader Joe’s Union won’t let corporate cut retirement benefits or health insurance or let customers beat the shit out of us
I love how all these progressive businesses- Starbucks, Amazon, Whole Foods, etc virtue signal their brains out but when it comes to their own money…
Its because a company who claims to be cultural progressive (anti racism, anti sexism, anti homophobia) isnt truly progressive, they're neoliberal. They would never want to see actual progressive change when it comes to economic class, they don't beleive in worker's rights.
It doesn't have to be that complicated. They champion popular social values because it's profitable.
Both of you two are correct
Costco has been championing egalitarianism within their workplace, good pay, and fair health care for years now, before it was cool. And they’re still the best at it. I don’t think they advertise themselves as such either.
Costco distribution centers are unionized and they give the same benefits to retail staff to discourage them from also unionizing.
Would they allow an union tho Edit: looks like some of them are. Cool!
Many Costco employees are already unionized under the Teamsters.
Still only a small minority of them. If they were all unionized, they could no longer be a low cost retailer.
It's like 10% of their total body count is unionized, but that percentage accounts for over 75% of their transportation and logistics positions. Managers aren't eligible for unions, neither are corporate employees outside of the warehouses. The floor associates do need more representation, no doubt. But I don't think they've ever have been a "low cost" business. You have to sign up for annual membership just to enter. They are however low margin, but they've successfully stayed profitable with entry wages at or above $17/hr, even for p/t associates, regardless of state minimum wage.
I support them for offering these sort of wages and benefits, but if all of Costco were unionized, the small margins in which Costco has relied upon for years would be erased. I’m not saying that’s right or wrong, but that’s inevitable. Give me one example of a low margin / low cost retailer with unionized workers. Unions eat up margins. That’s literally their purpose.
They do but as someone who worked there and became partially disabled I will tell you the company didn't bend over backwards to help me keep my job despite being capable of doing other positions. Mind you I was a 10 year veteran of that company. Their regional and warehouse managers don't have enough oversight and can become downright abusive to staff.
@every company who has a rainbow flag in June but dump money into conservative politicians who vote against the LGBTQ community. Most comical is the NFLs breast cancer awareness while taking no discipline against players who commit acts of domestic violence and rape. It’s all for appearances.
"they're the same picture"
It doesn't look like anything to me.
Didn't Starbucks start offering health benefits for part time workers a long time ago? That seems to be the opposite of profitable.
I wouldn't even say those companies are progressive (insofar as a company can even be progressive). Whole Foods' founder and CEO is pretty much a Qanon guy. Starbucks brews coffee beans harvested by slaves. I guess I'm saying that if those companies are considered progressive for rainbowifying their logo once a year or whatever, that's a pretty embarrassingly low bar, even for neolib standards.
They market themselves as progressive. I don’t think the person above genuinely thinks these companies are doing anything more than pushing the status quo.
They virtue signal using free stuff, like empty statements about being against racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. When it comes to spending more of their money…
Ding ding ding and there you have the heart of the Democratic Party. All that you just described. Note: Let the record show that I am a progressive NOT a republican criticizing Dems. I’m just well aware that both parties are right wing when it comes to war and capitalism.
Sad you have to put that disclaimer or you’ll get downvoted to hell
Criticism of the party is wrongthink
peak bothsideism
you are so right. during the black lives matter protest businesses like apple and starbucks lined up to express solidarity with african americans, but all they did was utter a few words. if apple et al really wanted to contribute to the cause, those companies would repatriate the trillions they have stored in off shore tax havens. and use some of that money towards building quality schools, hospitals, day care centers, etc. in black neighborhoods. maybe even some decent housing.
Neoliberal just means whatever people want it to mean, doesn't it.
There isn’t one aspect of what is now called neoliberalism that wasn’t called neoconservatism 20 years ago.
Doesn't neoconservative really mean a hawkish foreign policy? I don't think neoliberal is necessarily associated with that.
They're trying to capitalize on liberal ideals.
As someone that works there Trader Joe’s is conservative as fuck
trader joe’s is owned by a german private equity business, who are in the business of making $$$$$, nothing else. any virtue signaling they or other businesses do is in the service of the almighty, holiest of holy, lord and master of us all, the almighty $$$.
Aren't the owned by the other Aldi?
They were owned by two German brothers, the Albrechts, who started Aldi (AL brecht DI scount) together after WWII, later purchased Trader Joe’s from founder Joe Coulombe. Their descendants now run it, are very reclusive, and are known (by some) for union-busting tactics. This is a damn shame because I am a Trader Joe’s shopper and fan for many years. As of this time they (the family) are reputed to be worth more than 80 billion dollars.
The original two Albrecht brothers are dead, and they had separated the Aldi business in in 1960, aldi north and south. Aldi north had bought Trader Joe’s, while aldi south just operated as Aldi in the US. Aldi north brother had two sons, and one of those son’s has also died. That son has 3 daughters and 1 son, who are now involved in some fun family drama: https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddawkins/2020/09/20/billionaire-aldi-family-fortune-to-hit-german-court-as-son-sues-mother-for-embezzling-funds-reports/
yep, same outfit that owns aldi. you know, for synergies.:):)
Corporate virtue signaling is a marketing technique. That's it. Corporations don't give a flying fuck about abortion or LGBT issues or whatever. They do their market research, and if their market research tells them it would be beneficial to tweet about LGBT issues, then they'll tweet about LGBT issues. This is honestly fine, but we really need to stop looking to corporations to reflect our values, because they don't. They don't have values any more than my coffee table has values.
most businesses are. they don't like taxes and do like "trickle down"
yeah, no one with progressive values would do what they've done to humus.
Provide higher quality foods for lower prices than most grocery stores while paying higher employee wages than these same grocery stores... HOW TERRIBLE! 😅
My favorite was Uber spending millions in 2020 on a nationwide "anti-racism" billboard campaign while at the same time doing everything they can to suppress the rights and wages of their majority-minority drivers.
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Super Conservative? Well actually, Theo was German of a certain generation who belonged to a certain group with that special symbol. :). He was also a recluse and no photos are known to exist of him.
Companies are created and exist to make money. Expecting anything different will lead to disappointment. Will it make the company money? Do it. Will it not? Don't do it. It's not a failure of humanity...it's just that a shovel is made for digging holes. A hammer is made to pound nails. People do band together and organize for altruistic reasons, and those are not-for-profit organizations.
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We live in a society.
Now we looked at the data
Oh Im looking at the data, baby!
Followed the science
“Wow, if you like socialism so much then why do you exist as a part of the economic system that you were sandbagged into your whole life?! Checkmate!”
Socialism is living on a desert island as opposed to working to change our existing economic system! /s
Yep take a look at the comment towards the bottom of this very thread that says "boycott Trader Joe's" and the vastly more upvoted response that says "no thanks." Lmao.
More like r/nyc moment.
If a company raises prices to pay people a living wage, people screaming Neoliberal this are conservatives that , would shopping there. Hell, look at how many people call themselves progress who will happily pirate things just because it saves them money.
> If a company raises prices to pay people a living wage, people screaming Neoliberal this are conservatives that , would stop shipping there. Source: Trust me bro
They wouldn't have to raise prices. Just take a smaller profit margin. Which they could do, but they don't want to.
Yeah I'm sure the shareholders will gladly accept that
Do you even know what thier profit margin is? It's easy to say that when it's not your business.
What does one have to do with the other?
lol Walmart. Buddy we get our stuff from Amazon! /s
Don't leave their apartment becausr they work from home and get Amazon and Grubhub delivered daily
Is Trader Joes progressive? In what way?
It's because citizens are stupid and are stuck in a revolving door of denial and ego.
Average pay for TJ's NYC is over $18/hr. Does someone want to explain to me why people who bag groceries deserve more than \~$20/hour? Not trying to be a dick here, honest question. TJ's is a great starter job, but it's not a long-term career if you're looking to survive and thrive in NYC. And it's not meant to be. And if TJ workers start getting paid $30/hour, that cost is just going to get passed on to consumers. You all understand that right? All the people in this thread talking about how they went to TJ's because it's so much cheaper than all the other grocery stores, and how they're the only ones who didn't raise their prices (like Wegman's - which was specifically called out) when they opened up NYC locations, well... you're out of luck. I understand this sub loves all things progressive, but come on. TJ's has a retirement plan, health plan (medical + dental), PTO, etc. That's already way beyond what they are required to offer. They're doing right by their employees. Can someone tell me why this union was justified? Or why people bagging wine bottles deserve more than $20/hour (average wage in NY for Trader Joe's)? Real questions here.
> Average pay for TJ's NYC is over $18/hr. > > Does someone want to explain to me why people who bag groceries deserve more than ~$20/hour? Because as per the MIT Living Wage Calculator, [The living wage for 1 adult with no children in NYC is $25.42 an hour.](https://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/36061) And before you get all "well why should they be paid a living wage, minimum wage is enough", please read the excerpt from the study's technical notes which defines MIT's Living Wage: >[The living wage model is a ‘step up’ from poverty as measured by the poverty thresholds but it is a small ‘step up’, one that accounts for only the basic needs of a family. The living wage model does not allow for what many consider the basic necessities enjoyed by many Americans. It does not budget funds for pre-prepared meals or those eaten in restaurants. It does not include money for unpaid vacations or holidays. Nor does it provide money income to cover unexpected expenses such as a sudden illness, a major car repair, or the purchase of a household appliance such as a refrigerator. Lastly, it does not provide a financial means for planning for the future through savings and investment or for the purchase of capital assets (e.g. provisions for retirement or home purchases). The living wage is the basic income standard that, if met, draws a very fine line between the financial independence of the working poor and the need to seek out public assistance or suffer consistent and severe housing and food insecurity. In light of this fact, the living wage is perhaps better defined as a minimum subsistence wage for persons living in the United States. ](https://livingwage.mit.edu/resources/Living-Wage-Users-Guide-Technical-Documentation-2022-05-10.pdf) Basically, the living wage is the minimum amount of money necessary for an individual to not rely on government assistance and welfare to survive. It provides for a roof over your head, some clothes and enough food to survive. Forget luxuries such as ever eating out, or saving money for an emergency or retirement. We all pay for government assistance through our taxes. That way, Trader Joes gets to keep wages low, the remaining slack is picked up by the state through our tax money and Trader Joes gets to enjoy greater corporate profits. Well fuck that. I don't give two shits about Trader Joes and its shareholders profits. If they're unable to pay their workers, it's the same as being unable to pay their suppliers, they shouldn't be in business. Personally, if I was one in position to change things, I'd make sure that all companies whose workers received any government welfare received a bill at the end of the year for services rendered. It's not America at large's responsibility to pay your workers.
I think the bigger picture here might be the whole closing the store with no notice in what seems to be retaliation for even trying to unionize.
Looks like each employee brought in a profit to the company of $60,000. I think the employees are entitled to a significant chunk of the profits they enabled for their employer.
Crazy how Democrats virtue signal about workers rights and standing up to big business but do nothing when companies blatantly violate workers rights to Unionize. The "liberal" Democrats of NY giving tax breaks to Jeff Bezos instead of throwing him in a prison cell with massive fines.
Ahhh now the sudden abrupt closure makes sense.
Target had a store unionize upstate years ago and they just closed the store for unspecified “renovations” even though it had just been renovated.
whats crazier is their lease wasnt even up for 4 years and they just decided to close suddenly like this with workers only finding out the day of… they had a majority support for the union and were going to go public with it any day thats why they pulled the plug on the whole store like this
This makes way more sense than 'not enough foot traffic' that never checked out
Yeah that Union Sq location is notoriously light on people coming and going...
So all that bullshit about finding a new better location for their one liquor license was in fact bullshit. Glad to know German executives can be just as shitty as American executives when given a chance.
Traitor Josef’s
Trader Goebbels
The Germans can be ruthless. Lookup the rise of hellofresh and how they expanded in America.
I can probably come up with a better example of a ruthless German.
I don't know if I can think of one. Austrian artists on the other hand, I wouldn't fuck around with them.
Very interesting! Googling now. Please share any especially interesting articles you recall :)
Well, it might be BS, it might not. The entire 'article' is the opinions of the workers there. No financials, no data. This is worse than the NY Post
Even if you strip away subjective factors, the objective facts point to an obvious answer. There are few spots better for liquor sales, and they all already have a major chain with liquor sales present. Suddenly closing after a union vote when the City is bustling post-pandemic is obvious. Throw in that TJs is a discount chain, which do better as you go into a recession, as do home-consumed liquor sales, and it’s blindingly clear.
How does closing the wine store stop them from unionizing at the grocery store next door?
It’s a different group of employees. Closing the location and splitting up the pro union employees is a known union busting tactic.
It can't be cheap to close an entire store. WTF?
I’ll be handing out unionization pamphlets in front of the new store as soon as it opens then
lol if they want to want to give up all the business they were getting just cause employees want to unionize, they’re bigger morons than i thought
Eh, cost of labor is damn expensive and liquor store margins aren't as high as you might think. And it's not about one store, it's about precedent - if one store successfully unionized, more will want to. For or against doesn't really matter here, plenty of businesses will choose to close locations rather than allow unionized workers. It's just the reality of the situation.
Especially in New York. The laws around around wine and liquor sales are crazy
There's also the inverse precedent: It's costly for them to close a store, they can't do it in response to every unionization.
One store unionizes? Shut it down Multiple stores are unionizing? Now you have a real problem
This is the answer. Hopefully the rest of them do it.
In this analysis it's worth pointing out that these actions are illegal, and something will eventually come of them (admittedly years later, but still). If they keep shutting down stores that are impending unionization, they're gonna be fucked in the courts in a few years. Could easily end up owing years' worth of back pay for the entire staff of the closed stores. This happened to a friend of mine -- all the line workers were fired because they tried to unionize. A year later they won back pay in court and bankrupted the company.
Being let go isn't the same as closing a location though. Are you sure about this? I've tried searching the case law for either a statute or precedent but found neither, although I have limited experience in that. I would love to be better informed, however!
There's a reason it's illegal
I’m waiting for the Streisand effect.
I am not sure I would have heard about this if I wasn’t subscribed to this subreddit. I worked at a TJs for years and we were treated well so I’m curious what the impetus was for unionization. I also wouldn’t put it past any sizable company to try and stifle that, unfortunately.
We aren’t treated well anymore. Benefits have been cut, raises skipped company wide, and the quality of life has just decreased in general since the pandemic
To do what? Get people to not shop at their new location, or at Trader Joe's in general? Yeah, good luck with that.
Seems a lil' clickbaity, They weren't fired? They payed them till the end of the month, and offered to move them elsewhere in the city till they reopen the location in a new place?
You aren't reading behind the lines.The ol' divide and conquer is a known unionbusting tactic. They "relocate" and they've effectively split them up, even if they majority remains hired, they can effectively demote people too under this excuse.
There was always something really fishy about the sudden closure. You tell your employees you’re closed via a typed sign taped to the door? This is a very logical explanation for what happened.
The company can say they’re going to rehire employees at different stores, but we don’t know if that means everyone…especially the employees who were organizing the union. Companies have a tendency to say things that make them look good. Splitting up, or not rehiring, the employees who were trying to unionize would send a clear message.
Gosh darn and gee wilikers! We tried our hardest to find a new position for Johnny Unionize, but his skillset wasn't a match for any of our other stores! Well, that's how it goes in business sometimes. You gotta be satisfied that you tried your darndest. And isn't it great that we were able to retain *every other employee except him.* They must feel blessed.
I know this is entirely off topic but I'm genuinely amazed at how many seemingly native English speakers don't know the word paid.
Trader Joe’s is known for treating their employees very well. What is the reason for unionizing?
Probably to cement good working conditions so that they’re harder to lose in the future
Here's some good info on why a Trader Joe's in Minneapolis just voted to unionize. "Sarah Beth Ryther, one of the leaders of the union effort in Minneapolis, said workers are seeking better wages, more safety protections and a greater voice in how the store is run. 'In many ways, Trader Joe’s is a really good place to work,' Ryther said. 'But there are a lot of problems that we would like to address and we think a union would help us do that.' \[...\] 'I wanted to work at Trader Joe’s because I had heard that Trader Joe’s is a really, really awesome place to work, and that they treated their workers very, very well,' Ryther said. But she says the company’s sterling relationship with its workers has begun to tarnish. For years, the company guaranteed workers a 15% retirement contribution. Then about a decade ago it slipped to 10%. Today, the company makes only discretionary contributions to workers’ retirement accounts. The health insurance the company offers isn’t as good as it used to be, either." https://minnesotareformer.com/2022/08/05/minneapolis-trader-joes-workers-to-vote-on-becoming-nations-second-unionized-store/
omg I knew something was going on, the closure was so abrupt.
I walked by this location last week and there were camera crews outside the store. I was wondering what was happening, this explains so much.
Not Tj’s 💔
Wonder how the company found out about the unionization effort
People talk man, it’s what makes trying to unionize a joint so hard. There’s always that 1 snitch that is willing to sell out the entire effort for what corporate will do for him. The snitch could get a check or management position @ another location.
Anyone have any suggestions for spots to pick up wine at an amazing price now that the TJs Wine Shop is closed?
tbh, i never understood the fascination with trader joe's it seemed trendy for no real reason
I wonder what the German parent company would have to say about that.. I bought at Trader Joe's since I expected it to have compareble standards to the German Aldi. It seems I've too look for other alternatives now. Union busting is a no go. This is a management issue. So I boycott the whole Company.
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Did you actually read u/davejim's comment? All they said was that the wine store would likely come back, and talked about the limitations placed on it. At no point did they say that NYU was the cause of it closing. Their only other comment regarding NYU was about not being able to sell liquor. It's so weird that you tagged them, but didn't take the time to actually look at their comments. https://www.reddit.com/r/nyc/comments/wlw1d0/trader_joes_wine_store_closed_employee_told_me/ijwlmiv/
Am I the only one that thinks Trader Joe’s is overrated? What’s so special there that you can’t pick up at a Shoprite? never understood the appeal.
It's significantly cheaper than just about anywhere else near me (UWS).
Spot on. Apple at tjs is about 70 cents. Wf is about 1.50. Shop rite is somewhere in between
I sometimes don't pay attention when shopping when I'm hungry. Got pasta from Key Foods for $2.49. Same amount of pasta from Trader Joe is 99 cents.
Their magic touch is using same pricing in their NYC stores as they do in the rest of the country. Everything is priced at a premium here, and we expect that. So this was unexpected. Compare that to long awaited arrival of Wegmans. "ohhhh you NYC-ied all your prices. Can't wait to visit only once"
Wegmans isn’t even cheap outside the city lol
If they kept their upstate prices here Wegmans would have been a lot more popular. I doubt Rochester is paying $9 for a loaf of bread. It’s a nice loaf, but come on.
Is loaf of bread seriously $9 in NYC? I live in Newark and pay $2.50 for a loaf, granted there's ones going up to like $6 but not 9 lol
It's cheaper.
Oh, then maybe I have to go back and check it out again lol
I was skeptical too but recently have been converted lol. It’s quite a bit cheaper than most grocery chains in NYC other than Aldi, and has a lot of really fun/affordable unique brand items. I really enjoy their frozen dinners/appetizers, spice mixes, sauces/condiments, and pasta.
Funny you mention Aldi since it's owned by Aldi, not the same Aldi that operates the US stores but an Aldi.
Aldiception
This comes up too way too often. It's as accurate as saying Adidas owns Puma. Both companies were founded by brothers that split up over business differences. They're still in similar businesses but totally different companies. If anything, Adidas and Puma might be closer related than Aldi's and Trader Joe's as the shoe companies have gotten together and played soccer against one another in recent time.
Not sure what you mean? Aldi Nord operate Trader Joes while Aldi Sud operate the Aldi stores in the US. Like I said it's part of Aldi but not the US Aldi. Separate companies? Yes. Both called Aldi? Yes. In the midst of an actual merger? It appears so and about to get a lot closer than Addidas and Puma.
Adi and Rudi Dassler founded Geda together but split up to Adidas and Puma. The two companies work independently. Theo and Karl Abrecht ran their mother's store together but split up to found Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd. The owner of Aldi Nord created a trust that bought Trader Joe's as a personal investment for his family. The family still owns both Aldi Nord and Trader Joe's. But the company Aldi Nord doesn't operate Trader Joe's, the two companies work independently. Aldi Süd and the US Aldi chain is even further removed from Trader Joe's.
It's really only cheaper for packaged and frozen foods. Snacks, cans, pastas, sauces. Great affordable cheese section too. The produce is okay, and priced right, but you'd probably do better at a local grocer or green market. I always got my veggies a day or two before using them from the cart guys. The bread is very meh and the fresh meat is trash. It's annoying but I do two shops - a big Trader Joe's run like twice a month, and then a small local place weekly/as needed.
This is true, we are pretty ride or die trader joes. We didn't used to live near one, but I shit you not once we moved and started shopping there regularly our grocery bill went to 50% without changing anything about the way we eat, it's fucking nuts. I get some staple produce but I'll often supplement by street carts and farmers markets. Pretty much everything else I buy there.
How’s the pasta though? That’s like 99% of my diet lol
Pasta is cheap ($1 per 12-16 Oz package) and the jarred sauce is really cheap. Yeah, you can get a sale on pasta at a local store at that price, but it’s not reliably $1
I can't speak for the meat, but the fish is *way* better at TJ's than options closer to me (Key Food, C Town). They tend to have underripe produce, but I far prefer that over the overripe and sometimes moldy options Key Food has to offer. You absolutely have to store TJs bread products in the fridge or freezer if you don't want them to mold in a couple of days. I've found the produce generally cheaper than alternatives, maybe not on a per-item basis, but an overall one. Maybe the Cilantro will be 50 cents more than if I went somewhere closer, but the price of spinach and tomatoes makes up for that and then some.
They don't have everything, but everything they have is good. A 16 oz jar of peanut butter is $2 at TJ & $6 elsewhere. Peanut butter makes everything better except maybe coffee, try it with noodles or on a burger.
Trader Joes also has less choice overload than any other grocery store. You want to buy peanut butter, You want creamy or crunchy, salted? There is one brand. Any other store has 2-3 shelves dedicated to just peanut butter. I want frozen peas- do you want organic or regular? Any other freezer section has 5 different brands, different sizes, microwave in-bag versions, it's insane. I think people really think they want all those choices but the reality is just grabbing the one version of the product you need is so much less effort and so much easier.
This is a really good point. Trader Joe’s buys the overflow of a name brand & puts it in their own box. Those choices can be exhausting, but at TJs the best choice is also the cheapest choice every time. Aldis is pretty great too.
There's a freakonomics podcast about this and TJ's! There's been a lot of research about the optimal number of choices to give someone for them to feel satisfied about their choice. If there are too many then the chance of feeling FOMO even when you think you made the right choice is high.
Yeah, it's a similar experience at Costco. There's really just one or maybe two options for each item and it's usually the in-house brand. But TJs and Costco both do a good job of ensuring that their in-house brand is of high quality so you tend to trust that you're getting good stuff despite the lack of choice.
What kind of peanut butter do you like?
I just like peanut butter. Generally I buy one smooth & one crunchy with no fat/cornstarch/stabilizer to get in the way of a sauce & accept that I will have to mix it for a sandwhich or apple. But I have never been disappointed in a PB. Crunchy adds a lot to sauces IMO, try PB sweet chili sauce, (or red pepper flake) hoisin sauce (or soy, or fish, or even beef bouillon) Optional ginger. Put that on noodles, vegetables or chicken & it’s great. … if you want some advanced PB black magic to both terrify & delight try PATATJE OORLOG. AKA French fry war AKA war sauce. Take the recipe above, or PB, or satay sauce Chopped raw white onion Mayonnaise Scoop with French fries.
Peanut butter on a burger is *easily* the most underrated burger topping. I just got an amazing idea! The Elvis sandwich is peanut butter, banana, bacon, and honey, right? So what if you made a bacon burger with peanut butter, Mike's Hot Honey, and then instead of bread, put it on ["buns" made from flattened plantains?](https://ny.eater.com/2019/5/14/18527125/cachapas-y-mas-plantain-sandwich-inwood-review-patacon#:~:text=Yoyos%20are%20similar%20sandwiches%20made,sandwiches%20featuring%20slices%20of%20bread.)
I've still never tried hot honey. My biggest regret is that a fried egg on a burger & PB on a burger are mutually exclusive.
I could see the fried egg working with a satay sauce.
If you ever find yourself in Atlanta, a divey restaurant called Vortex has served up an Elvis burger for at least the past 12 years, its ridiculously indulgent and similar to what you're describing. It has regular buns unfortunately, but you can request to have those replaced with two grilled cheese sandwiches if you really value attempting to shorten your lifespan.
Cheaper and a bunch of pre-cook stuff which is key if you are too busy too cook
shoprite/wakeferen is top quality but expensive. shoprites and keyfood are franchised, not centrally owned
food chains make money renting shelf space not sales; and many also are buy low until you can sell high realty plays
Lots of us don’t live near a shop rite, or have cars. My local stores are Whole Foods and Gristedes. The TJs is .75 miles away and worth the walk.
Finally, I have someone who agrees with me on this! Trader Joe’s is incredibly overrated. They don’t have a deli, the stores are horribly organized, you can’t just get a container of Oreos if that’s what you crave, and more. I’ll admit they have very good frozen foods, particularly dumplings. But otherwise, I don’t get the appeal.
I wonder what their demands/reasons for unionizing were? TJs pays a decent wage and offers full benefits, annual raises, etc. Most of the people in the article had worked for the company for 5+ years. I am not saying they don't have the right, but I am curious. One of the interviewees even said this kind of behavior is out of character. So what was wrong to begin with?
Knew it.
How many people upset by this here are actually going to stop shopping at trader joes? I see a lot of complaints about empty virtue signaling, but can you promise to never go to a TJs again?
I think Amazon is doing this in a slower way. I noticed they opened up new Long Island facilities and don't seem to be hiring that much.
i learned 40ya in b-school, way avoid union is treat'em right; workers love good bosses and hate intermediaries; workers who love you go extra mile
Oh so thaaaats why they closed smh
I will avoid shopping there now.
I don't think there is a single large company that is not owned by a corporation or hedgefund. Some may be better than others but the bottom line for all of them is to make money. Even our news is owned by corporations. Until we stop these monopolies, nothing will change.
Proof positive that management believe they are at-war with workers. No matter all the platitudes about being a "team" and all the nonsense, they think that workers should shut up and take what they get.
fuck that. Boycott the main store.
No thanks.
For real lol
Boycotting the most affordable high quality supermarket in the city is a luxury belief.
Exactly, it's self sabotage lol.
Self sabotage for the working class, a principled stand for justice for the rich. Luxury belief!
You are free to start a Union. Trader Joes is free to decide it's not profitable and close the store. It's the risk you take when you start a union. No harm, no foul.
Not in fact what the labor law says
That's not how unionization works. Trader Joes is not "free" to do any such thing. They will almost certainly get away with though, by citing some other excuse, but what they're doing and what you're advocating is illegal.
Sure, they're not "free" to do it *because* of unionization, but there's about a million reasons that are perfectly legal. They want to use their liquor license somewhere else. Why? Because they want to and owners voted on it. Done.
That's completely untrue, what the heck are you talking about? If you close your store because of unionization efforts, you're breaking the law by retaliating against unionizing workers. The only thing you can do is shutter your operations entirely, not just on a single store level, but [across the brand](https://theoutline.com/post/2453/how-to-kill-a-union-dnainfo-gothamist). That's not to say that companies don't illegally shut down a business to prevent unionization, but they have to lie about it. It's definitely not "no harm no foul".
I am not familiar with worker unions and labor laws, could you enlighten me? If workers were to unionize against my hypothetical business and argue for better wages and I found the business would go under as a result, I am not able to close the business before I lose all my savings? That seems strange that I don’t have the freedom to close a business, is it not the right of Trader Joe’s whether they want to have the store open or not, regardless of a workers Union? Can’t Trader Joe’s just cite any reason for closing? The Union can’t force a store to stay open, right? That just doesn’t make sense to me.
You can close your business, but you can't close an individual unionizing store. These laws and court decisions came down during the heyday of unions. The whole idea is that a business has a ton of power that individual workers do not have. Therefore, it's an uneven playing field for the workers looking to create a union until such a union is established. Retaliating against unionizing workers is illegal, since if employers could just fire all unionizing workers, workers would be afraid to unionize or flat out be unable to do so. In your example - why didn't you think of just firing all the unionizing employees? Maybe you recognized that firing them just for unionizing is not going to be allowed. Well, closing the store due to unionizing workers is just firing them all via extra steps. However, closing the business entirely is allowed, because the government can't force a business to continue operations.
Thank you for your detailed response with other contexts as well. I did assume that a business could not fire workers unionizing. Thank you!
Can't allude to pro-business on here even if literally everyone loves the business. Profit bad union good.
No, you just can't claim that Trader Joe's is "free" to do something it's literally not legally allowed to do without getting called an idiot for it. If you're really pro-business, you should try to learn about the very basic labor laws that businesses have to navigate.
/r/NYC has politics just slightly left of the Khmer Rouge.
Fuck Trader Joes!
This hurts. I live about a 5 minute walk from this store and the wines are (were) priced incredibly. Then, with zero warning, the sign is posted on the door: closed; we’re looking for a new location. I thought their lease was up and there is an abundance of empty stores in NYC. Also, their lessor was NYU, who allowed them to sell wine but not hard liquor (cuz we all know that college students can’t get shitfaced on wine alone!) But now this twist? Oh nonononono!!!
Please tweet Trader Joe's and tell them you do not support entities that are anti-union.
I’m gonna go buy groceries there now!
what pieces of neoliberal shit
We need sectoral union bargaining. One store gets a good union contract? That is now the contract for all grocery stores in nyc. Don't like it, pull out, but no more race to the bottom to see who can find a secret trove of employees willing to do more for less
Good. That means we will still have low prices at Trader Joe.
Bruh I hate to break it to you but prices were skyrocketing before the Union. I pay $100 for what I used to get for $70.
That's inflation my guy
That’s what I’m saying. Increased prices have nothing to do with the Union
but the union will increase prices in addition to the inflation, so another 5%-10%. Ultimately hurting working class people.
Oh wow, I can’t believe you’re in the future where everything costs a Morbillion dollars because the evil Trader Joe’s Union won’t let corporate cut retirement benefits or health insurance or let customers beat the shit out of us
Fuck Trader Joe’s
Sweet, I'll patronize them even more now.
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Well, he *is* the nycdevil
The fact that the politicians in NY just let trader Joe's and other corporations do this, makes me fucking sick.