NYC Trader Joe's Wine Shop could reopen due to union-busting: officials

MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) – The Trader Joe’s Wine Shop in Union Square may reopen after being closed for nearly a year, a union-busting complaint filed against the company reveals.

The general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board alleged that Trader Joe’s closed the wine shop to stop their workers from unionizing, according to the complaint. The complaint also accused Trader Joe’s of illegally “interrogating” employees about their union activities and threatening to take away benefits if they unionized. 

The United Food and Commercial Workers union filed a complaint about the Trader Joe’s Wine Shop closing on Nov. 7, 2022. In a press release, the union claimed that “Trader Joe’s also illegally polled store employees and discouraged crew members from supporting the union by saying that supporting the union would be futile.”

The NLRB general counsel in the Jan. 12 complaint said to remedy the unfair labor practice allegations, Trader Joe's must reopen the wine shop and reimburse employees making them “whole” for any wages they lost, the complaint reveals.

Notification of the closure of the Trader Joe's Wine store on Aug. 11, 2022, in New York City. (Photo by Bill Tompkins/Getty Images)

"With the NLRB’s complaint and notice of hearing, former Trader Joe’s wine shop crew members in New York are one step closer to getting the justice they deserve," the union said in response to the new complaint. “These workers showed up every day, delivering the knowledge and service that Trader Joe’s is so famous for, only to wake up and find out that their store had been closed overnight.”

The beloved wine shop closed abruptly on Aug 11. 2022, leaving New Yorkers confused as to why the affordable store shuttered its doors. A notice posted on the door said the company had decided it was time to “explore another location that will allow us to optimize the potential of our one and only license to sell wine in New York."