Oakland Trader Joe's union vote certified by National Labor Relations Board

Trader Joe’s has removed the product from shelves and “destroyed” it, the company said. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Posted: May 1, 2023 / 09:19 AM PDT

Updated: May 1, 2023 / 09:19 AM PDT

(BCN) — The National Labor Relations Board certified the newly formed union of employees at an Oakland Trader Joe’s Friday. Employees at the store on College Avenue voted 73-53 on April 20 to become the first Trader Joe’s location in California, and fourth in the nation, to unionize.

“We are thrilled to be certified and can’t wait to sit at the bargaining table and work toward a contract that will improve our pay, benefits, and working conditions,” said Dominique Bernardo, a crew member and organizer at the Oakland store.

The store joins three others around the country that have joined the Trader Joe’s United union. Trader Joe’s has filed objections to one of those elections, at a store in Kentucky, and a final ruling is still pending. The certification of the Oakland vote by the labor board means that Trader Joe’s must negotiate a new contract in good faith with the union, which will join negotiations that have been underway with other unions since November 2022.