The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union called Trader Joe’s decision to open a grab-and-go “Pronto” store in place of its shuttered Union Square wine shop in New York City a “slap in the face” in a Tuesday emailed press release.
Trader Joe’s closed its only New York City wine shop suddenly in August 2022. The location’s workers filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge against the company, claiming that the grocer closed the location to prevent workers from potentially unionizing.
At the time, a spokesperson for the grocer said that the company supports the right of workers to unionize and decided to close its wine store because it was looking for a way to “optimize” its only New York state wine license.
The new store will include sandwiches, fresh salads, soups, chips, cut fruit and beverages — but not wine, a store manager of the soon-to-open Pronto store told The Village Sun.
“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,” the New York City Trader Joe’s Wine Shop Organizing Committee said in a statement.
In January, the National Labor Relations Board filed a complaint alleging that Trader Joe’s closed its wine shop’s doors because of workers’ potential unionization plans. The NLRB also said its general counsel is seeking remedies including compelling the grocer to reopen the store and reimbursing workers for lost wages.
A Trader Joe’s spokesperson confirmed in an emailed statement that the grocer is actively looking for a “suitable location” for a new wine store that will “maximize [its] wine sale potential.”
“It is worth noting every Crew Member who worked in the former wine store was paid for all their scheduled hours, and every Crew Member in the store was offered a position in another Trader Joe’s location of their choice, including our store in Union Square,” the spokesperson said.
In 2022 a Trader Joe’s store in Hadley, Massachusetts, established the grocery chain’s first employee union. Since then, Trader Joe’s locations in Minneapolis; Louisville, Kentucky; and Oakland, California, have elected to formally organize. Workers at a location in Manhattan narrowly voted not to join Trader Joe’s United last spring.
