Trader Joe’s in western Mass becomes first company store to unionize

Employees turned in a 45-31 vote on Thursday.

A shopper pushes a cart from the Trader Joe's supermarket on Thursday July 28, 2022, in Hadley, Mass. Employees at the store on Thursday became the latest workers at a major company to approve a labor union.Carol Lollis/Associated Press

Workers at a Trader Joe’s in western Massachusetts have become the first in the chain’s workforce to unionize, voting 45-31 on Thursday in favor of a union.

Trader Joe’s United, the name of the union at the Hadley location, will be an independent bargaining unit not affiliated with a larger labor union. Employees have been pushing to unionize since May.

Representatives from the National Labor Relations Board conducted the vote over two days. A simple majority was needed for the vote to pass. Objections can be filed over the next seven days before the results are officially certified.

This is the latest in a slew of union organizing efforts in Massachusetts, including multiple Starbucks locations.

Maeg Yosef, an organizer for Trader Joe’s United, said the union’s next step is to sit down with the company and work out a contract.