Trader Joe's Union founder FIRED on May Day!

Dear Pamela, On May Day, of all days, Trader Joe's fired its union's founding president, after more than a decade on the job. I've known Jamie Edwards, since the Hadley, MA store became the first location in the United States to win a union. Jamie's a dedicated organizer who built a great team that now represents stores across the country―all while continuing to stock shelves and bag groceries. The union is fighting for Jamie―but can you chip in to Jamie's GoFundMe to help them cover basic living expenses in the meantime? Jamie speaking at a rally outside TJ's corporate HQ in support of a fired coworker. Jamie is a dedicated advocate for their coworkers, both as a union officer and bargaining spokesperson, and as a coworker on the sales floor. Jamie is never afraid to speak up on someone else's behalf in order to right a wrong, or urge management to follow the law. They work hard and are well-loved by their coworkers. However, Jamie's outspokenness and openness as a union organizer brought on scrutiny and retaliation from management. Since the announcement of Hadley's union drive, Trader Joe's targeted Jamie in a number of ways: sending them home from a shift because they were wearing a union pin, giving them failing marks on their performance reviews for two years straight, and even writing them up for fabricated acts of aggression. The union filed unfair labor practice charges for all of those incidents, but the charges have yet to be resolved. On May 1 (May Day!) Trader Joe's fired Jamie. Jamie had recently stepped down from their position as national president, and it seems Trader Joe's thought this was the moment they could terminate a highly visible union organizer without repercussions. Of course, they were wrong. The union is filing unfair labor practice charges against Trader Joe's in response to Jamie's termination. But that process takes time, and Jamie needs funds to cover basic living expenses right now while they seek new employment and fight for reinstatement. Stand with Jamie by making a contribution to their GoFundMe. Every donation helps! In Solidarity, Mike Phelan Progress America Paid for by Progress America, a project of Strategy & Hustle   Sent via ActionNetwork.org. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Progress America, please click here.