Trader Joe's shuttered NYC wine store to snuff out union drive, workers say

The abrupt closure of a popular Trader Joe's wine store in New York City came just days before its 30 employees were planning to call a union election. Workers had been organizing for months and were ready to go public with the campaign, they told CBS MoneyWatch.

But on August 11, a few days before the planned announcement, the grocery chain suddenly shuttered the location, only informing affected workers of the closure at 12:01 a.m. that very day. Some employees learned that the store was permanently closing its doors when they showed up to work in the morning.

"I found out because I woke up to a million missed calls and texts," said Robert Bradley, an employee who worked for four years at the Trader Joe's wine store and one of the leaders behind the union drive.