Employees at the store on College Avenue voted 73-53 on April 20 to become the first Trader Joe's location in California, and fourth in the nation, to unionize.
Dominique Bernardo, a crew member and organizer at the Oakland store, said, "We are thrilled to be certified and can't wait to sit at the bargaining table and work toward a contract that will improve our pay, benefits, and working conditions.”
The store joins three others around the country that have joined the Trader Joe's United union. Trader Joe's has filed objections to one of those elections, at a store in Kentucky, and a final ruling is still pending.
The certification of the Oakland vote by the labor board means that Trader Joe's must negotiate a new contract in good faith with the union, which will join negotiations that have been underway with other unions since November 2022.
