Louisville Trader Joe’s workers are voting to possibly join a union

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Another Louisville store may be unionizing this week.

Employees at the Trader Joe’s in Saint Matthews have a stipulated election agreement on Wednesday and Thursday to decide if they will be the third store in the franchise to join the Trader Joe’s United Union.

Trader Joe’s United has been around for just over a year but it is already working to secure its third unionized Trader Joe’s franchise.

If the workers here in Louisville vote to join the union, they will add to what is becoming a hotbed for unions in our area.

“As workers are going to work, they’re realizing that have a voice is a leverage of power but it’s not always about an economic game, it’s about safety in the workplace,” Greater Louisville Central Urban Council President Todd Dunn said.

Dunn said the Trader Joe’s had to get union cards signed as well as file a petition with the National Relations Board to even get to this point of a vote.

A lengthy process workers may feel is necessary to show their worth.

“The workers have seen so much happen from the pandemic through rising costs and inflation and they see themselves as getting a bad deal from the companies that they sacrifice so much for,” Greater Louisville Central Urban Council Executive Director Tim Morris said. “And they see this as a only option for them to not only make their lives better, but their coworkers and those that come after them.”

If the Trader Joe’s workers vote to join the union, they will join the likes of Heine Brother’s Coffee, Sunergos Coffee, Half Price Books and Starbucks as local unionized franchises.

A trend that Morris says he would be happy to see.

“We’re proud of all these workers, and have seen so much good from all the workers they have seen at different union facilities and wanting to make their lives better and make their community better,” Morris said. “That’s what we do as unions.”

The Louisville Trader Joe’s crew says they will discuss the outcome tomorrow evening after the vote.

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