Trader employee Joe says he was fired after writing to CEO about Covid-19 security measures

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Ben Bonnema, a Trader Joe employee at a store in New York City, wrote an email to Dan Bane, CEO of Trader Joe on February 26, urging the store to improve air filtration and not let anyone enter the store without a mask and a “3 strikes policy for removing non-cooperating customers.”

“We risk our lives every day by coming to work. Please join us by adopting this policy,” Bonnema said in his letter.

Bonnema placed the letter on Twitter and said he was fired for sending it to the CEO. He also posted one termination letter he received from Trader Joe’s. Bonnema’s account went viral on social media, calling for a boycott of Trader Joe’s.

Kenya Friend-Daniel, a spokesperson for Trader Joe’s, said in an email Monday that there was “misinformation” online about Bonnema’s termination. “The store management has terminated this crew member’s employment due to the lack of respect he showed towards our customers.” She declined to provide details.

“We never, and never will, terminate a crew member’s employment for raising safety concerns,” she added. “We encourage all crew members to take an active role in store safety and share their suggestions with management.”

In his letter, Bonnema cited recent recommendations from scientists and occupational medicine experts calling on the Biden administration and the Centers for Disease Control to address exposure to Covid-19 via air transmission.

“We should follow the guidelines of scientists who study respiratory transmission,” he said.

Bonnema also said Trader Joe’s should upgrade its store HVAC systems and limit storage capacity based on carbon dioxide levels. He said no one should enter the store without a mask, even those with disabilities, and said Trader Joe’s would still be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act because it offers to shop for customers who cannot wear masks.

Trader Joe’s declined comment on Bonnema’s letter.

Some of the experts who signed the letter to Biden’s administration also offered their support to Bonnema on Twitter.

“We wrote this letter to protect people like Ben. His letter is an excellent science-based request,” said Kimberly Prather, a professor at the University of California San Diego. said on Twitter. “We’ve been shopping there for 20 years. We’ll stop until Trader Joe’s takes this seriously.”

Bonnema turned down the request for an interview through his attorney Benjamin Dictor, who said he and his client would try to get an order from the National Labor Relations Board to lead Bonnema’s immediate recovery.

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