When faced with unlawful intimidation and interrogation from management at Trader Joe's, Alex P and his coworkers stood together and stood up for their rights in the workplace, eventually securing a crucial victory with the National Labor Relations Board. In this deep and wide-ranging conversation, we talk with Alex about his life and work—and so much more. We talk about growing up with strict immigrant parents, graduating from college into a global recession, and the imprints our past jobs leave on us. We talk about the winding road that led Alex to his current job at Trader Joe's, and we discuss the events at Alex's store that pushed him to file a complaint with the NLRB and secure a settlement from the company.

 

Additional links/info below...

• National Labor Relations Board, "Your Rights"
• A message from Trader Joe's crew members: "Trader Joe’s crew members are organizing to make changes to the way the company does things from the local to national level right now. If you want to connect with us reach out here and you’ll be contacted by other workers fighting to make change and can get paired with experienced organizers to train and support you: Join other Trader Joe's Workers Taking Action!"
• Alex Press, Jacobin, "Trader Joe’s Is Once Again Accused of Violating Workers’ Rights"
• Brittany Shammas & Hannah Knowles, The Washington Post, "A Trader Joe’s Employee Called for Stronger Coronavirus Measures. The Company Fired Him"
• Mary Pilon, Bloomberg Law, "Trader Joe’s Employees Say Virus Response Was Haphazard, Chaotic"
• Michael Sainato, The Guardian, "Trader Joe’s and Other US Firms Suppress Unionization Efforts During Pandemic"
• Kim Kelly, The Baffler, "Food Fight"
• Erica Mildner, Jacobin, "Trader Joe’s Put Workers Like Me at Serious Risk During the Pandemic"

 

Permanent links below...

• Working People Patreon page
• Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show!
• Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
• In These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
• The Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter page

 

Featured Music (all songs sourced from the Free Music Archive: freemusicarchive.org)

• Jules Taylor, "Working People Theme Song"
• Poly Action, "Black Smoke Cloud"