Trader Joe’s really has no shame. On May Day, of all days, the company fired Jamie Edwards, a national leader of the effort to unionize Trader Joe’s who worked at the Hadley, MA location for over ten years.
The Labor Force has worked closely with Jamie and Trader Joe’s United since 2022, when the Hadley store became the first unionized Trader Joe’s in the nation. Jamie not only co-founded the union. They also served as Trader Joe’s United’s national president up until recently, all while continuing to stock shelves and bag groceries.
We’ll share more of Jamie’s story in a second. First, can you make a contribution to Jamie’s GoFundMe to help them cover basic living expenses?
Jamie speaking at a rally outside TJ’s corporate HQ in support of a fired coworker.
Jamie is a dedicated advocate for their coworkers, both as a union officer and bargaining spokesperson, and as a coworker on the sales floor. They are never afraid to speak up on someone else’s behalf in order to right a wrong, or urge management to follow the law. They work hard and are well-loved by their coworkers.
However, Jamie’s outspokenness and openness as a union organizer brought on scrutiny and retaliation from management. Since the announcement of Hadley’s union drive, Trader Joe’s targeted Jamie in a number of ways. They were sent home from a shift because they were wearing a union pin, given failing marks on their performance reviews for two years straight, and even written up for fabricated acts of aggression. The union filed unfair labor practice charges for all of those incidents, but the charges have yet to be resolved.
On May 1 (May Day!) Trader Joe’s fired Jamie. Jamie had recently stepped down from their position as national president. It seems Trader Joe’s thought this was the moment they could terminate a highly visible union organizer without repercussions.
How You Can Support Jamie
Of course, they were wrong. The union is filing unfair labor practice charges against Trader Joe’s in response to Jamie’s termination. But that process takes time, and Jamie needs funds to cover basic living expenses right now while they seek new employment and fight for reinstatement.
Stand with Jamie by making a contribution to their GoFundMe. Every donation helps!
In Solidarity,
The Labor Force
P.S. Has Trader Joe’s firing Jamie Edwards got you ready to take action? Sign TJU’s Customer Strike Pledge to commit to boycotting the company if and when the union calls for it!
Leave a Reply