cross-posted from: https://midwest.social/post/8284923
Key Takeaway:
"In defending itself against union busting allegations, Trader Joe’s fired a cannon ball that could sink the ship of modern American labor law.
The grocery store chain is arguing that the federal agency prosecuting it for unfair labor practices — including giving union workers worse retirement benefits and barring workers from wearing union pins at work — is unconstitutional."
My friend always joked that Trader Joe’s was the ‘bougie’ option for groceries.
Guess it’s less of a joke when they’re openly waging class warfare.
The funny thing is they are Aldi.
The Aldi brothers had a disagreement about selling cigarettes in their stores in Germany, so they split the company into two; Aldi and Aldi Süd. When they started moving into America they couldn’t have those two names, so there is Aldi and Trader Joes. Obviously they market themselves differently and operate differently, same company wearing different hats.
TBF Aldi Nord is the owner/investor in Trader Joes. The company that we know as Aldi in the US is Aldi Süd, a different company.
Where does Lidl fit into the picture?
It is a straight up copy of and competitor to Aldi.
True but the way you put it makes it sound like they are still connected. AFAIK they are completely separate at every level.
Most definitely!
At least where I am, they’re in the most uptown bougie strip mall they can get into; same situation with Whole Foods. Starting to shop exclusively at the two state-wide/local stores that don’t have these issues, but wish more folks had access to quality local grocers who pay well and support unions.
For groceries, I like to use my local food co-op. They can be more expensive though, so I can’t always afford to shop there.
Maybe this is an ignorant question, but is there a list of companies that are pro-union? I know there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism, but God damn at least I want to buy my shit from companies run by actual humans instead of this vermin
The union’s website lists the companies they operate in and most union stores have a sticker on the front doors, near the front doors, or by customer service that says the local.
You can of course ask an employee, and if they say no you can tell them that it is disappointing for them and go elsewhere.
Not ignorant. Ethical consumerism is difficult.
Sadly, not for groceries per se, but take a look at “B Corps” and B Corp certification.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_Corporation_(certification)
You might also be interested in how various country’s labor protection and fairness practices stack up. Spoiler alert, the US doesn’t look great.
Nestlé has several B Corp certified entities. While some of the B Corp certified may be well intentioned, many just use it for marketing and greenwashing.
Yeah, it’s a point of contention and much discussion. I agree. I think overall it’s worth pursuing.
While it may not guarantee how ethical a company is, getting B Corporation status seems as good of an indicator as anything I’ve come across. I figure if Patagonia is willing to certify with them, maybe its legit? Here’s a link to their search page.
Oh, nice! I see Ben & Jerry’s on there, I guess that’s no surprise. And we do use Seventh Generation products, so that makes me feel good.
Unfortunately, I’m guessing there are no major retailers like Walmart or Target, so we’re still kind of trapped into supporting union-busting retail behemoths in some way, unless you’re fortunate enough to live somewhere with more options.
Most Giant grocery stores around the DC area are unionized. It’s not much but it’s a start.
That’s not being pro-union. That’s just being unionized.
There is no such as a pro-union corporation, even from a purely capitalist perspective, the desire to maximize profit will always be at odds with the worker’s desire to maximize compensation.
The issue companies have with unions isn’t necessarily that it gives workers more benefits it’s that the union comes between management and getting anything changed. It’s simply about the loss of control of their workers. You won’t find many that are pro-union due to that. And frankly, I don’t blame them. The current union setup in the US sucks for both businesses and workers.
I’m sorry, but I do blame the companies, fully and completely. If they are so self-absorbed and greed-addled that they see giving workers some level of control over their labor, then fuck them. Barring violent revolution, unions are our only hope to seize any manner of control over the corporate theft of our labor and exploitation of our working class.
Blaming corporations for being greedy is like blaming the wolf for killing the sheep. It’s just their nature, and they have to do it to survive without getting trampled by the other corporations and wolves. Like I said in my other comment, what we need is strong and fair government regulation to set the baseline at which companies have to operate, ensuring people are compensated fairly, and that corporations don’t have to trample their workers to stay afloat.
If that’s the case, then it sounds like capitalism is pretty shit at fostering mutual aid, and we should probably dispense with it
In the meantime, I do blame the corporations and greedy CEOs for being such abysmally horrid ghouls that they would require regulation not to enslave and exploit. Not everyone needs rules to tell us not to treat each other miserably.
So yeah, I do blame them. Saying they need regulations not to behave in this way really shows what kind of disgusting and deplorable humans are leading these companies.
I agree but that’s a pretty sad hope. As with most things, we’re stuck with bad and worse.
And frankly, I don’t blame them.
I said I do. We don’t agree. How can you say “I agree” when you clearly don’t? Is this some form of toxic positivity or psychological warfare? Weird.
The current union setup in the US sucks for both businesses and workers
Only because of businesses, NOT because of unions.
Barring violent revolution, unions are our only hope to seize any manner of control over the corporate theft of our labor and exploitation of our working class.
I agree with this.
“Loss of control of the workers” is a good thing. Fight me.
Why does everyone think I am pro business here? I just understand what they’re thinking having worked for them for 20+ years. You may not like their POV but it exists.
I just don’t think unions are the answer to solving the issue. They’ve done little to actually solve corporations having as much power as they do (which is way too much).
Yes, they’ve pushed us forward from the Industrial Revolution’s abuses but they haven’t done nearly enough to really give workers power. I’m critical of both.
Until you stop lobbying (which is up by the way) you aren’t doing enough. *Collective you, not you personally.
I agree with you. Everyone wants unions because it’s the popular sentiment right now, but what we need is an environment that doesn’t require unions in the first place. We need a government that prioritizes the people’s rights, making unions redundant.
deleted by creator
It’s time to get honest with ourselves about our motivations and lack thereof and get on with doing the dirty work of manifesting a happier timeline for all of us.
Okay but hear me out: their spinach dip is really good.
Everyone just needs to sit down for two days to remind everyone else what the phrase ESSENTIAL WORKER means.
I wonder if this will backfire with a massive general strike and a resurgence of unions? I heard there was a general strike planned in a few years. But probably nothing is going to happen the right-wing propaganda is very strong and ingrained now in the US.
I’m gonna boycott them harder, which since I don’t go into TJ’s, is gonna more or less the same from the outside.
