An international delegation – including senior representatives from UNI Global Union’s Swedish affiliates, GS Facket and Unionen – was blocked from a U.S. Elanders/Bergen Logistics distribution centre in New Jersey on 14 April. The delegation visited the facility to investigate troubling reports of the company obstructing workers’ right to form a union.
The North Bergen warehouse employs around 185 people and mainly serves clients in New York’s fashion industry, including Acne Studios, Ganni and Kenzo. The workers have sought union recognition through Workers United-SEIU, which is also a UNI affiliate.
Swedish multinational logistics company Elanders has signed a global agreement with UNI, committing to uphold core International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions, including the rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining. The agreement also guarantees UNI affiliates unaccompanied access to Elanders workplaces to inform workers about their right to unionize and the benefits of union representation.
Despite this, the company denied entry to the union delegation, which included Tony Berggren, President of UNI Europa Graphical & Packaging and International Secretary of GS Facket, and Martin Jefflén, International Secretary of Unionen. They were accompanied by Theresa Haas, Director of Global Strategies for Workers United, SEIU, and Yadhira Alvarez, Chief of Staff of the Laundry Distribution and Food Service Joint Board (LDFS Joint Board) of Workers United, SEIU.
“Elanders cannot pick and choose when to follow international labour standards,” said Christy Hoffman, General Secretary of UNI Global Union. “The company signed an agreement with us to respect workers’ rights globally – and that includes workers in New Jersey. Elanders must honour that commitment, stop union-busting and respect workers’ fundamental right to organize.”
Workers at the North Bergen facility have been organizing for months, citing the need for better wages, affordable health insurance, more paid time off and a say in their working conditions. In November 2024, a majority of the workforce signed union cards in support of joining the LDFS Joint Board of Workers United, SEIU.
However, the company failed to recognize the union, and instead, it launched an anti-union campaign and hired consultants to pressure workers from supporting Workers United. The company has since filed multiple legal objections to the union election results, further delaying recognition and bargaining.
In addition, union leaders say the company fired a worker involved in the organizing effort – a move now under investigation by the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) as a potential Unfair Labor Practice.
Elanders is largely owned by well-known Swedish industrialist, Carl Bennet.
“It is remarkable that a company that is co-owned by such a high-profile business leader with strong union values acts in this way,” said Tony Berggren, commenting on the situation at the company’s U.S. subsidiary.
“I don’t believe Elanders wants to be associated with Elon Musk’s anti-union stances. I hope they step forward as a leader for justice and demonstrate that the strong union relations Elanders has in Sweden also apply in the United States,” added Tony Berggren in New Jersey.
Martin Jefflén, International Secretary of Unionen, added, “Bergen Logistics must start living up to the Global Agreement that Elanders group has signed with UNI. These kinds of agreements set a minimum floor of rights for workers and their unions and it doesn’t go below the local laws. The agreement that applies to Bergen Logistics should give us the right to access to visit and talk to the workers. Today we were denied this. If they would have lived up to the agreement, the workers would have been able to unionize by now.”
Elanders Group, a global logistics company, employs over 7,000 workers in 20 countries. Its subsidiary, Bergen Logistics, operates four U.S. distribution centers.
The LDFS Joint Board – Workers United, SEIU, represents more than 8,000 workers across the New York metro area, including thousands in distribution and logistics.