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On March 26, the UFCW responded to Trader Joe’s decision to open a new “grab and go” Pronto store in place of the shuttered Union Square wine shop in New York City.

In 2022, Trader Joe’s workers filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge against the company after it abruptly closed its only wine shop in New York, alleging the closure was an act of retaliation against workers trying to unionize. The workers also allege that they were illegally interrogated and subjected to coercive statements by management. This past January, the National Labor Relations Board filed a complaint against Trader Joe’s and a notice of hearing, demanding Trader Joe’s to reopen the wine shop and reimburse workers for lost wages.

NYC Trader Joe’s Wine Shop Organizing Committee released the following statement:

“Trader Joe’s decision to open a new store in place of its former wine shop, after displacing its former staff without warning, is a giant slap in the face. We are disappointed, but not surprised, to learn that the space has been filled before reopening our shop. While management claims to be searching for a new location to move its successful wine store, they’ve been content to let its former location lay empty for almost two years as an alleged cost-saving measure.”

“We believe Trader Joe’s is doing everything in its power to prevent a profitable unionized shop from reopening. We refuse to let Trader Joe’s continue to get away with their egregious and illegal union-busting tactics.”

During “Second Chance Month” this April, the Civil Rights and Community Action Department is helping our members and other hard-working Americans with prior nonviolent convictions clear their records and register to vote.

Since 2016, the Civil Rights and Community Action Department has partnered with locals and allies to expunge the criminal records of some of our members and other workers in communities free of charge so that they can register to vote and have access to other services, such as affordable housing and education. To date, the UFCW has helped hundreds of people navigate their state’s expungement and sealing laws and clear their records. In 2021, the UFCW formalized an agreement with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) to further assist with our expungement efforts.

The UFCW, along with the NACDL, is cosponsoring an expungement clinic in Cumberland, Md., on Friday, April 5, and you can get more information here. The UFCW and NACDL are also cosponsoring a webinar titled “The Criminalization of Voting: Front-End Community Engagement” on Tuesday, April 30, and you can register here. For more information about Second Chance Month activities and opportunities, visit NACDL – Second Chance Month.

If your local is interested in working with the UFCW International to help people clear their records and register to vote during this important election year, contact Civil Rights and Community Action Department Director LaQuita Honeysucker at lhoneysucker@ufcw.org or Confidential Secretary Ben Cassel at bcassel@ufcw.org.