Trader Joe’s Illegally Fired Union Supporter, Labor Prosecutors Say

Officials also allege that the grocer illegally withheld retirement benefits from the first of its stores that organized.

Prosecutors at the National Labor Relations Board say Trader Joe’s illegally fired a union supporter in Massachusetts because he was pushing for better working conditions.

In a complaint filed Tuesday, officials argued that the company should be forced to offer reinstatement and back pay to Stephen Andrade, a nearly 18-year Trader Joe’s veteran in Massachusetts. Andrade lost his job making store signs in June after a manager accused him of leaving a power saw in the back of the store after being told to remove it.

Both Andrade and the union previously told HuffPost they believed his firing was retaliatory. The NLRB officials who looked into the matter agreed. The complaint says Trader Joe’s should have to send Andrade a letter “apologizing for any hardship or distress caused by his discharge.”

In a phone interview, Andrade, 46, said he was pleased to see that prosecutors found merit in his story.

“I hope that the union can keep chalking up some wins and we can hold the company accountable for their practices and trying to union-bust,” Andrade said. “It really just seems like it would be in everybody’s best interests if the company would just deal fairly. But I know that’s not how capitalism works these days.”