We put out a call for workers to share their thoughts on that “bonus” they got for their work last month. The bonus was so insulting it made crewmembers who otherwise might not be union-friendly come straight to us — and let their opinions be known to the company, too.

Here’s some of what workers have said:
“This is insulting to the work and stress COVID-19 is causing crew members. I am not the only one at my store who is upset by the bonus and how the company is handling this.”

“Less than $150 after taxes. What an insult. It isn’t even enough money to cover the cost for the extra groceries we have been buying, from Trader Joe’s mind you, for when we will be put on quarantine after we inevitably contract the coronavirus.”

“My coworkers and I are positively livid. Our "bonus" amounts have been nothing but insults, with folks receiving an average of less than $300.”
[From a worker at a busy NYC location — worth noting the bonus varies by store and is dependent on store sales + hours worked]

“My “bonus” after taxes was $42 and they have since cut my shifts down...because we’re not doing enough sales each day.”

“An extra day of pay for all of this is not worth it.”

“I...am really concerned about having a lack of hazard pay and am very upset about the small, inadequate, and insulting bonus that we all received this week that was taxed at over 30%.”

“Pretty sure they just wanted to call it a bonus to 1) shut us up 2) make them look good in the public eye and 3) be able to tax it at a WAY higher rate than our normal paychecks.

I am insulted, angry and really sad for all my co-workers and trader joes employees right now.”

The worker also detailed record-breaking profits in the store’s history last week. “To get this insulting "bonus" as we worked our asses off while being stressed, scared and even before ANY protocols were put in place for safety...it literally makes me feel so much rage.”

“I didn't think it was possible for the bonus to be worse than nothing, but they managed it. I feel like a corpse at work, interchangeable. We need something to change.”

Stores in NYC have repeatedly broken $2M in profits for the week.

“Hell I’m pretty sure that I got the coronavirus and had to stay home for two weeks and all I got was this lousy seven bucks. It’s insulting. And we have to just hope that the company will be benevolent enough to continue giving us meager bonuses through the coming months.”

We’ve got dozens more emails like this. It’s why we’ve continued reminding people that Trader Joe’s still has not provided us hazard pay, encouraged customers to avoid shopping at TJs, and encouraged workers to reach out to us so we can coordinate collective action with them.

There is a tiny, if questionable, bright side: It appears that Trader Joe’s is adjusting the bonus to be $2/hr take home, versus starting around $2/hr and taxed into oblivion.

This isn’t a win for Trader Joe’s. It’s a reminder that collective action works.

“We were told this morning the company would be temporarily be increasing our wage $2 while this was going on. However as our captain was telling us this, he called anyone complaining about the "bonus" ungrateful.”

When this all blows over, remember how long it took them to let you wear gloves. All the ways they tried to shame and punish you for being scared. How long they took to roll out an insulting bonus. How much time they dedicated to union-busting instead of caring for your wellbeing

Where Captains should have been asking crew what they need, they instead delivered laughably weak anti-union talking points, lying to crew about our petition (an Unfair Labor Practice violation!), and calling us ‘fake news’ for sharing intel you deserve to know.

The interests of any company will always fall on profits first. The people they call “family” they’ll leave in the dust the second that “family” asks for help. We’ve boosted visibility to this reality and we forced the company to change for the better.

Their PR person has been scrambling to spin and tell half-truths in the interest of profit. Our interest exists solely in securing stability and safety for all of our coworkers, regardless of whether they join our union drive or even work for the same company.

We’re not going to stop. We’re not going away.