Prosecutors at the National Labor Relations Board say Trader Joes illegally interrogated workers and threatened to take away their pay raises when they were trying to form a union last year.

The alleged threats came in the run-up to a January 2023 election at a Louisville, Kentucky, store where workers voted in favor of joining a new union, Trader Joes United. The company has challenged the election results by claiming the union illegally influenced the vote.

But according to the complaint filed Monday, prosecutors say it was Trader Joes that committed unfair labor practices meant to sway workers against unionizing.

The complaint states that an assistant store manager threatened workers with the loss of their raises as well as a loss of flexibility with taking days off and scheduling work if they voted for the union. It also alleges the company forced workers to participate in one-on-one conversations meant to hurt the unions support.

The labor board will hold a trial on the allegations if officials cant reach a settlement with Trader Joes.

A Trader Joes spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

Connor Hovey, a worker whom Trader Joes accused of illegally pressuring co-workers to vote for the union, said he was happy to see the complaint issued.

Over the last year, Trader Joes has taken every opportunity to throw me under the bus and to make false claims in federal hearings that I violated federal labor law, Hovey told HuffPost. Today its vindicating to see that the company was just projecting their behavior onto me, and the government recognized that.