There are so many reasons to love Trader Joe’s. From healthy desserts to amazing cheap skincare, the affordable grocery chain always delivers.
And while shopping the store was a highlight of our weekends pre-coronavirus–if not only for the freezer finds, low prices and cheery employees–some controversy has hit the grocery chain as of late.
Multiple news outlets are reporting that the California food chain is clashing with its own employees amid the COVID-19 crisis--and we are SO surprised.

While many argue that grocery store employees are risking their lives to show up for work amid the global health crisis, the "fresh finds" company is discouraging their own workers from joining unions and that might entitle them to "hazard pay," or an hourly rate of time and a half.
In case you missed it: many grocery store employees from competing brands have begun to participate in "worker activism" in recent weeks as a result of the health crisis. In addition to going on strike, they've demanded increased protections on the job. All seems reasonable, right?

While the company released a statement about how it plans to protect workers during the crisis, they also sent a memo to store managers on March 23 that joining a union might be a bad idea.

“It’s not like buying toothpaste you don’t end up liking. It’s like buying a house … you’re in for the long term," the email stated.
While the situation is ongoing, we are hopeful that the conscientious company will ultimately make the right decision in regards to its employees. Stay tuned!

