Photo: Getty Images
HADLEY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A Trader Joe's located about 80 miles west of Boston has become the first within the grocery chain to form an employee union after a vote solidified its organization on Thursday.
According to the Associated Press, employees at the Trader Joe's in Hadley passed 45-31 with one void in the union vote. Files submitted to the National Labor Relations Board indicate that a charge against the employer was sent back in June.
On Twitter, the newly formed union, named "Trader Joe's United," celebrated the vote.
"We now begin the difficult work of sitting down at the negotiating table as equals with our employer, and securing a contract that will benefit and protect us, the crew, instead of the company's bottom line," the letter from Trader Joe's United read.
Read More: Recycle That Bicycle, Boston's 'Bikes Not Bombs' Inspires Renewed Rides
WBZ NewsRadio reached out to Trader Joe's, based in California, for a comment on the Hadley location's vote to unionize.
"We are prepared to immediately begin discussions with union representatives for the employees at this store to negotiate a contract. We are willing to use any current union contract for a multi-state grocery company with stores in the area, selected by the union representatives, as a template to negotiate a new structure for the employees in this store; including pay, retirement, healthcare, and working conditions such as scheduling and job flexibility," a spokesperson for Trader Joe's said.
Follow WBZ NewsRadio: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | iHeartmedia App