Whole Foods workers in Philadelphia are voting on whether to form the first union in the Amazon-owned chain. The company is pushing back.The New York Times reports that workers at a Whole Foods Market in Philadelphia are currently voting on whether to form the first union in the Amazon-owned chain. The company is pushing back against the union drive, with management stating that a union is not needed at Whole Foods Market.
The approximately 300 workers at the Philadelphia store are hoping that a union could negotiate higher starting wages, secure health insurance for part-time workers, and provide protections against at-will firing. They also have a broader goal of inspiring other workers in the grocery chain to organize, joining the union drives among warehouse workers and delivery drivers that Amazon is already facing.
Ed Dupree, an employee in the produce department who has worked at Whole Foods since 2016, believes that if different sectors within the company demand more control and a voice in the workplace, it could help to chip away at Amazon’s power or at least put it in check.
However, management sees things differently. They claim that a union is not necessary at Whole Foods Market and that they recognize employees’ right to make an informed decision. Workers, on the other hand, say that since they went public with their union drive last fall, store managers have increased their monitoring of employees, displayed anti-union posters in break rooms, and held meetings that portray unions in a negative light.
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