After Abrupt Closure, Trader Joe's Workers Demand Wine Shop Reopens

UNION SQUARE, NY — Amid cries of union busting techniques, workers at the Trader Joe's Wine Shop at Union Square are demanding that the store reopens after abruptly closing last week.

Former employees of the East 14th Street shop wrote in an online statement that the sudden closure was connected to halting ongoing plans from workers to unionize the store.

"Trader Joe's is not being transparent about their motives for closing the shop," employees of the Trader Joe's Wine Shop wrote. "Management in our store knew we were having organizing conversations and were planning on signing union support cards. Closing our store is textbook union busting."

As first reported by Huff Post, workers told the publication that they had spent the last four months beginning the unionizing process for the store. Employees told HuffPost that they planned to go public with their intent this week.

Robert Bradlea, a worker at the store, said he believed there were at least 22 "yes" votes among the roughly 30 workers expected to be eligible to unionize, and that they planned to submit union cards to petition for an election by Friday, reported Huff Post.

Trader Joe's did not respond to Patch or Huff Post.

Trader Joe's gave a different reason last week for the surprising closure.

"We have been operating our small Wine Shop in the Union Square neighborhood for over 15 years, and we thank you for your business and support throughout the years," the company said. "It is now time for us to explore another location that will allow us to optimize the potential of our one and only license to sell wine in the state of New York."

Employees of the store say they were only given six hours of notice about the permanent shuttering.

"This kind of retaliation is exactly why we want a union at the Wine Shop– to guarantee we have real job security, consistent schedules, and wages we can live on. We deserve the protections that a union contract provides," the employees wrote on an online petition. "Trader Joe’s closed our store in an effort to stop us from voting for a union, violating our rights."

Here are the reasons the former Trader Joe's employees give in petitioning to reopen the store.

• "The crew was given only 6 hours notice via an email sent out at midnight that the store was permanently closed. Most of the morning shift learned what happened when they showed up to work and found it shuttered.
• Trader Joe's management confirmed that the company does not have a new location lined up, nor do they have a timeline to reopen, leaving many of us unsure of whether or not we have a job.
• The Wine Shop is about to enter its peak season with the return of NYU students and the holidays approaching, and the lease of our former location is not up for 5 more years. The company’s decision to rent an empty space during their most profitable months simply does not add up.
• Trader Joe’s claimed in a mass email to workers that the space would be used to improve the operations of its Union Square grocery store, but the stores are not physically connected. They have offered no explanation as to how this benefits our sister location.
• Trader Joe's has made no guarantee that we will be transferred or that our work schedules will remain the same. We should be transferred to our preferred location and guaranteed the same hours, schedules, and pay."

The specialty wine shop opened in 2006 along with the 14th Street Trader Joe's location, which was the first in New York City.

It was particularly well-liked for having cheap options on relatively nice bottles.

You can learn more about what the former employees of the store are saying — here.