this post was submitted on 26 Jan 2024
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Grocery chain Trader Joe’s is joining Elon Musk’s SpaceX in arguing that the US labor board, which is prosecuting cases against both companies, is unconstitutional.

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[–] stoly@lemmy.world 166 points 1 year ago (7 children)

I'm disappointed. I really thought that TJs was more like Costco. You look at the employees and they are always smiling, just like Costco. Guess not all things are equal.

[–] Brunbrun6766@lemmy.world 113 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The founder died, shit has changed drastically in the last 5 years or so

[–] stoly@lemmy.world 34 points 1 year ago

Gotcha. Too bad.

[–] GhostMatter@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)
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[–] drdabbles@lemmy.world 82 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Trader Joe's is overpriced Aldi. Their employees are told to smile, just like everywhere else you go that employees are always smiling. Nobody's that happy at work, and that shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody at this point.

[–] 0421008445828ceb46f496700a5fa6@kbin.social 16 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Trader Joe's is owned by Aldi

[–] doc@kbin.social 40 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Different brother. There's Aldi Sud and Aldi Nord (I think that's right), who have common family history but are now separate companies. One operates the US chain called Aldi and the other owns TJ's.

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[–] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 39 points 1 year ago

Trader Joe's is owned by the OTHER Aldi, which is related historically but entirely separate from the Aldi stores in the US.

Interestingly the US is the only country to have both companies other than Germany itself, and even there one is in one half of the country and the other in the other.

[–] this_1_is_mine@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

Different aldis.

[–] 4am@lemm.ee 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The frozen stuff is WAY better at TJs; my local Aldi has mostly stuff that’s cheap because it’s about to expire

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[–] EdibleFriend@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago

Joe literally ate the motherfuckers who don't smile.

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[–] RememberTheApollo@lemmy.world 112 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

What the F, TJ? Want to make a loyal customer of 15+ years quit? This is how you do it. We’re a union family, we vote with our dollars too.

[–] hobovision@lemm.ee 18 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Where are you gonna shop that's better? Kroger? Safeway? Walmart? Whole foods? It's fucked up.

[–] Grayox@lemmy.ml 23 points 1 year ago

I used to shop at a kroger that had a UFCW sticker on the sliding doors out front. They represent 835,000 grocery workers. Unions have a strong foothold in American Grocery stores. Sounds like TJ's needs em.

[–] Blaidd@lemm.ee 6 points 1 year ago

Kroger and Safeway are unionized

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[–] dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net 16 points 1 year ago

Presumably union families have more dollars to vote with as well.

[–] bl_r@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

There has been a push to unionize some TJ locations.

https://traderjoesunited.org

Here is an interview with one of the organizers from MA.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-below/id1713434162?i=1000634877458

Not all locations, such as my local one, are unionized. Hopefully there is some good progress soon since some lawsuits against the unions were tossed out of court late last year.

Edit: Just want to clarify that the existence of unions doesn’t justify their anti-union rhetoric, I do believe that corporate is shitty. I recently learned about their union struggle and wanted to share the story

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[–] apfelwoiSchoppen@lemmy.world 93 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

I know I'm in the minority likely, but Trader Joes is shit it isn't because it can't survive unionization. Just because your chips are organic doesn't make buying it from overly outgoing cashiers any healthier. Prepackaged junk food is prepackaged junk food and they sell a ton of it. Frozen dinners are still sodium bombs even though they don't have "preservatives". That said, fuck these two anti-union shitstains of companies.

[–] rockSlayer@lemmy.world 71 points 1 year ago (2 children)

They can survive it. Every company can survive it. They just don't want to give up their dictatorship.

[–] apfelwoiSchoppen@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago

I shop at union grocery stores. The boutique chains see this as a something to exploit instead of a feature. Many union chains are local too, most boutique ones are national.

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[–] stoly@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Come on, the quality of food at Trader Joe's is FAR better than the brands you find at a Safeway.

[–] lone_faerie@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 1 year ago

Most of the food at Trader Joe's is just white label with fancy packaging. It's the same food you find at a Safeway.

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[–] Can_you_change_your_username@kbin.social 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

The no preservatives label needs better regulation. Every food that has it is loaded with either salt or sugar. The reason that they are loaded with salt and/or sugar is because salt and sugar are two of the oldest and most used preservatives. And that's my soapbox, thanks for listening.

[–] SoleInvictus@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

The other one that pisses me off is no added nitrates (except for all the nitrates in the additives we added). Just be honest, companies. It's really not hard to not be total shitbags.

[–] e-five@kbin.run 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The anti-unionization stuff makes me sad. They're really the only ones around here who carry vegetarian/vegan options. If I go to the chain store next door the prices are quite a bit more expensive, and all they have is a small corner of the refrigerated section of vegetarian options of questionable expiration.

[–] awake01@lemmy.world 91 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The end of our patronage of TJs.

[–] GladiusB@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

I ended it when I can't find half the crap I want to eat consistently.

[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 64 points 1 year ago (1 children)

No more Trader Joe’s for me.

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[–] NutWrench@lemmy.ml 44 points 1 year ago (4 children)

If people don't have the right to decide what their labor is worth, then they are no better than slaves.

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[–] DogPeePoo@lemm.ee 35 points 1 year ago

*Traitor Joe’s

[–] assassinatedbyCIA@lemmy.world 29 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I guess labour has no choice but to go back to the old style of negotiating. Aka. Rocking up at the bosses house on mass and ‘asking nicely’ for a raise.

[–] drdabbles@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

Don't forget bidding them "a very good day" if they see them in the streets.

[–] Naja_Kaouthia@lemmy.world 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Is this the Michael Scott defense? Instead of yelling “I declare bankruptcy” they yell “I declare this unconstitutional”?

[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

It’s all very “Sovereign Citizen”.

[–] HubertManne@kbin.social 23 points 1 year ago (1 children)

wow. Tjoes is just throwing its goodwill away by aligning with spaceX. Its to bad as I like them and aldis.

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[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 22 points 1 year ago

I didn't realize 2024 was the year I was going to stop shopping at TJ's.

[–] nul9o9@lemmy.world 21 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

We can go back to mob violence if they don't like our mutually agreed upon legal framework???

[–] Poggervania@kbin.social 20 points 1 year ago

“The working class having a board that helps them is unconstitutional” for those who need a direct translation

[–] drifter@midwest.social 15 points 1 year ago

Hey Trader Joe's owners,,,Don't be a dick! I'm not a large customer, but I can always stop shopping there. Very disappointing.

[–] BaldProphet@kbin.social 12 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Hmm. I couldn't read the full article because of a paywall, but from what I understand, the constitutionality of the NLRB was upheld by the Supreme Court in NLRB v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. 301 U.S. 1 (1937). I'm not sure there is any foundation to contemporary claims that the NLRB is unconstitutional.

[–] WhereGrapesMayRule@lemmy.world 33 points 1 year ago (2 children)

As with overturning Roe v. Wade, the legal foundation will be "our conservative cult says so".

[–] Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

"ThE NLRb isn'T in the cONSTITutIoN!!1!" - The Supreme Court, probably

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[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Im about to declare corporations unconstitutional. Their heads are so big their thoughts need launch vectors to get to their lobbyists.

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[–] e_t_@kbin.pithyphrase.net 10 points 1 year ago

These companies trying to do away with civilized negotiations, you'd think they want to go back to the bad old days when Labor got the bosses to come to the bargaining table by blowing shit up.

[–] Gingerlegs@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Never spent a dollar there. Won’t start now, thanks

[–] KnightontheSun@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

It used to be a good store, but I guess the owner died and they've gone anti-union. I have not been in one for a few years and won't ever now (unless they change their tune).

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