New Updates with our Boycott announcement & Demands below!
TRADER JOE'S CAPITOL HILL CLOSED INDEFINITELY:
WORKERS FACE POTENTIAL JOB LOSS AFTER PARTICIPATING IN BLM PROTEST
On June 11, dozens of Trader Joe's Capitol Hill (Store #130 in Seattle) workers informed store management that they would be participating in the June 12 protest organized by the local chapter of Black Lives Matter. Store managers determined that broad participation in the protest would lead to staffing issues, and decided to close the store early on June 12. Store management assured workers participating in the protest that this would be considered an excused absence and would not result in any disciplinary measures. But on the morning of June 12, a representative from TJs corporate called the store to ask about the early closure. Unsatisfied with the rationale for the early closure, corporate informed store management that the store would be closed indefinitely, effective immediately.
We, a group of Store #130 workers who wish to remain anonymous, believe it's no coincidence that the store was abruptly closed on the day that dozens of us took action in support of the movement for Black lives. We know that the company will try to avoid the appearance of being antagonistic to the movement. They will likely cite "personnel issues," “safety concerns,” or operating costs as rationale for the store closure. What they really mean when they cite "personnel issues" is that they saw our store as a hot spot for worker organizing. TJs corporate has aggressively squashed worker organizing for years and has a long record of retaliation. This is the most dramatic retaliation any TJs store has seen to date, but it is not an isolated incident. Prior to the abrupt store closure, we had been organizing to secure a living wage, health insurance for all workers, and basic protections against COVID-19. The large majority of us were already living paycheck to paycheck, and many of us were working without health insurance while risking steady exposure to the public in the midst of a pandemic.
While Trader Joe’s has publicly voiced support for “Black crew members and customers,” the company has done nothing to tangibly support the movement for Black lives, and they have penalized employees for supporting the movement. While the company insists that they value crew member feedback and support crew-led solutions, they have consistently disregarded our insights and requests. We know what it would take for the store to run smoothly, and we want to be in conversation with store management about solutions.
We are saddened by the store closure. For each of us, it means both a loss of community and a loss of financial security in the midst of an economic downturn. We recognize it’s a loss for our neighborhood as well, and we hope you will join us in demanding that Trader Joe’s reopen Store #130 and restore our jobs immediately. We’ve heard that TJs corporate will make a final decision about the closure this coming Monday. We’ll be prepared with a response regardless of the decision.
UPDATE: 6/15
Trader Joe's Capitol Hill crew members received a message on Monday stating that the company plans to reopen our store. We know that this would not have happened without the incredible outpouring of community support we've received over the last 24 hours! Over 22,000 of you have signed our petition! The announcement that the store will reopen is a big win, and it's very clear to us that the fight isn't over. None of us have received a guarantee that our jobs are protected, and Trader Joe's has yet to take tangible action in support of the movement for Black lives.The message we received via our scheduling app claimed that the temporary closure is “to execute a remodel plan to address safety and security concerns that have developed over the last year.” This is a smokescreen. Crew had not been informed of any remodel plans until today, and had not been informed of an extended closure until this past Friday. We know that store management was also surprised by the abrupt closure. Trader Joe’s corporate is feeling the public pressure and is scrambling to regain control of the narrative. They're backpedaling, and trying to defend an indefensible decision they made on Friday.
We intend to be in conversation as a collective with store management and TJs corporate. We are not going to overlook the major breach of trust from this past Friday. We want to keep our jobs, but we don't feel like we can go back to the store without addressing long-standing issues, including anti-Blackness in our workplace. We hope we can count on you both to support our demands moving forward, and to support the movement for Black lives.
UPDATE: 6/25 - OUR DEMANDS
To Store #130 Management and Trader Joe’s Corporate:On Friday, June 12th, you closed our store “indefinitely” after dozens of us were given excused absences to participate in a Black Lives Matter March. After processing the shock and grief of what we thought might be the end of our beautiful store community, we decided to share our story to the public. Through the attention we received on social media, local and national news we gathered nearly 25,000 signatures on a petition to reopen the store, and encouraged thousands of customers to e-mail Dan Bane and Jon Basalone in support. Since then, you have reconsidered your decision and told us that the store will reopen on July 1st. However, you have not responded to our statement, assured us of our job security, or stated your support of racial justice by saying BLACK LIVES MATTER.
As Crew members we are disappointed and saddened by this situation. We need you to commit to do the work to rebuild the trust that was broken. We have worked the aisles of this store and served the neighborhood for years, including through the current pandemic as essential workers. We know this decision and incident was not singular. There has been a profound disconnect with the company’s core values and the day-to-day reality of how our store is run, long before that Friday. We think that it’s time for the company to do better. We’ve tried methods of suggestions and feedback through the prescribed channels. But there comes a time when a pattern of silence, dismissal, and appeasement does not suffice. Here are our demands:
1. Black Lives Matter
We call on Trader Joe’s to make a public statement explicitly acknowledging that Black Lives Matter. And we call on the company to back that up with a detailed plan for rooting out anti-Black racism at the store level and at the corporate level. That plan needs to include tangible, specific support for Black crew members and customers. We need more Black, indigenous, people of color, trans, queer and disabled captains and mates. All captains and mates need to undergo mandatory training on implicit bias and undoing institutionalized racism. Store #130 needs to make a meaningful financial contribution to Black-led organizing of the crew’s choosing. We know that the tipping point in the decision to close store #130 was broad crew participation in Black Lives Matter actions. Trader Joe’s needs to apologize to Black crew members and customers for failing to acknowledge that Black Lives Matter.
2. No retaliation
ALL Store #130 crew must be given the opportunity to return to work. Crew members who gathered in the wake of the abrupt store closure should face no retaliation for working together to reopen the store and get our jobs back. And we should face no retaliation moving forward as we continue to push for real safety for ourselves and our coworkers. Retaliation could include - but is not limited to - termination, write-ups, denied raises, denied transfers, or assignment to difficult tasks at work.
3. Redefine safety
We see fundamental misalignment between our crew’s felt sense of safety and the company’s definition of safety. Trader Joe’s must reprioritize the safety of people over the safety of property. We propose ending all contracts with private security companies, which focus on theft prevention at the expense of real safety and negatively impact our Black and disabled customers and other customers of color. Instead, Trader Joe’s should contract with a local social service agency to provide mental health intervention and de-escalation as needed. All crew and management need to be trained in de-escalation. Protocols intended to protect crew and customers from COVID-19 need to be put in place proactively and must not be rolled back for the sake of increasing profits. The public has come to understand us as essential, and we expect our employer to treat us with the same respect.
4. Invest in our store and our crew
Instead of looking for a way forward, corporate pulled the plug on Store #130. We want the company to support our store with more experienced and well-trained management. We would like the company to back up their promise to seek crew feedback through regular, accessible and confidential mechanisms. Our crew deserves to be set up for success. Clear and consistent store-wide communication about policy changes, safety protocols, and expectations are necessary for our store to run smoothly and for our crew to feel supported. This includes regular store meetings. We need a direct line of communication to Trader Joe’s HR. The store needs to invest in better support and services, including certified ASL interpreters, to make the workplace accessible for all crew.
5. Expectations and disciplinary process need to be transparent and equitable
Trader Joe’s needs to clearly and consistently communicate expectations of crew members both verbally and in writing. These expectations must be developed and applied with a racial equity lens. We know that Black crew members, other crew members of color, and trans crew members are disproportionately surveilled, hassled, and disciplined by store management. We need consistent documentation of any disciplinary measures, including perspectives from all affected crew members as well as management. We need a transparent and equitable grievance process for workers.
Workers at Trader Joe’s Capitol Hill Call for a Boycott As Two More Are Fired For Organizing
October 13th, 2020Two more workers at Trader Joe’s Capitol Hill were fired on Wednesday, dealing another blow to worker organizing at the location. Since June, a group of employees at the store have been calling on the company to acknowledge that Black Lives Matter, tangibly support Black crew members, and stop retaliating against worker organizing. In the wake of these most recent firings, a group of employees at Store #130 are calling for a company-wide boycott until the demands they released in June are met.
On Friday, 10/2, a local Black Lives Matter protest group entered the Capitol Hill Trader Joe’s (store #130) after the company’s recent policy update that bans Crew Members from wearing BLM masks. This uniform policy prohibits any “logos, statements, décor, symbolism, or messages of any kind” on masks at work. This wasn’t announced publicly to all Crew members and only addressed with those in violation of the policy, especially those who were wearing BLM masks. They were told to take off the mask or risk disciplinary action.
Protesters were in the store questioning management about these policies, educating customers and crew, and chanting and dancing peacefully for about an hour. They asked for the store to remove the several prominent pride flags as well as the Pan-African flag that hang at the front. The protesters pointed out that the flags only serve as false symbols while the company stands by a hard “neutral” stance and fails to back up these flags with any meaningful support for these communities. Several Crew Members stayed on the sales floor to help customers and bear witness to the protesters’ interactions with management. Managers attempted to keep workers in the back room and push protesters and customers out of the store.
On Saturday, 10/3, the Crew Members who stayed on the sales floor were pulled aside and asked to write statements about the “incident,” that managers framed as a safety concern. One Crew member, Bennett Powell-Driscoll, quit on the spot. In their resignation letter they wrote, “I am more and more disappointed with Trader Joe’s decisions and communication with Crew Members about new policies. I believe I made my choice, when the new policy banning BLM masks was brought to my attention by protestors instead of leadership...I can no longer proudly call myself a Crew member.”
The other two Crew members were initially suspended pending an “investigation” and then on Wednesday 10/7, they were fired for “insubordination.”
Christina Cobb, one of the Crew members who stayed on the sales floor during the protest and subsequently fired, recalls the incident. “The company’s policies made Crew members feel silenced and uncomfortable, not the protesters. Crew members feared for their jobs if they showed any sign of support for BLM at work.”
With these most recent firings, there have now been five Crew members fired since the store reopened in June. All of the Crew members fired were LGBTQ, BIPOC or disabled and part of the worker-led organizing that prompted the store to re-open earlier this year. Other Crew members have been retaliated against with increased surveillance, cuts to hours, write-ups and other forms of harassment that disproportionately affect BIPOC and trans crew members and have led some to quit due to the toxic environment.
When the store reopened on July 1st, private security was gone, the crew was promised de-escalation training and were told the store would be looking into alternatives to calling the police. However, these promises proved to be empty when management called the cops on a Black trans woman in August who was accused of stealing less than $80 of product, while employees offered to pay for the goods and begged not to have the police involved. That incident was live-streamed by a local activist and sparked backlash from the community.
We, a group of Store #130 employees, wish to restate the demands we released in June. The company has not addressed these demands and has doubled down on many of the same practices we called out in June. We now call for a company-wide boycott of Trader Joe’s. Their continued retaliation against essential workers who risked their health for the company’s profits during a pandemic is cruel. Trader Joe’s insistence on a neutrality stance that silences workers and the community during a civil rights movement demonstrates a complicity in the violence against the Black community and is consistent with the corporation’s pattern of anti-blackness. We want our store to be better, serve the neighborhood more fully, and live up to the values that Trader Joe’s touts. We have tried to do that in a collaborative and cooperative way, but the company has met us with hostility. Now, we are calling on the consumer. Please do not open your wallets to this corporation. Call on them to say Black Lives Matter and meet our demands, and let them know you will be shopping elsewhere until they do.
