Workers at a Whole Foods Market in Pennsylvania have successfully voted to unionize, marking a historic achievement as the first employees in the Amazon-owned grocery chain to do so.
On Monday, employees at the Philadelphia location participated in the voting process, with 130 ballots cast in favor of joining a local chapter of The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW). This constituted approximately 57% of the total votes, while 100 employees opposed the measure.
“The battle is far from over, but today’s achievement represents a significant advancement,” commented Wendell Young IV, president of UFCW Local 1776. “
We are prepared to engage Whole Foods in negotiations for a fair initial contract that meets the needs and priorities of the workers.”
This event signifies the first successful incorporation of organized labor into Amazon’s food-related ventures, which include Whole Foods and other formats like Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores. Since its acquisition of Whole Foods in 2017 for $13.7 billion, Amazon has consistently attempted to quell union organizing efforts among its grocery employees, delivery drivers, and warehouse personnel.
Nearly three years back, employees at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York, voted to affiliate with a nascent union that later joined forces with the Teamsters. However, Amazon has not engaged in negotiations with that union.
Staff at the Philadelphia Whole Foods began their organizing efforts early last year, according to Young. They collaborated with UFCW Local 1776 during the late summer and filed a petition to the National Labor Relations Board for an official election in November.
The local union indicated that employees were aiming for higher wages, more accessible health care, child care assistance, improved work-life balance, and enhanced working conditions following a successful vote.
In response to the vote count on Monday night, Whole Foods expressed pride in offering competitive pay, excellent benefits, and career advancement opportunities to all employees.
The company also stated, “While we are disappointed by the election outcome, we remain dedicated to upholding a positive working environment in our Philadelphia Center City location.”
Whole Foods emphasized its provision of competitive pay on an hourly basis along with benefits like 401(k) plans and “on-demand” mental health support. Although the company did not disclose exact hourly wages, reports suggest that store employees might earn a minimum of $16 per hour.
Following the union’s election petition, witnesses report that store employees received complimentary snacks and experienced improvements in their break areas.
Earlier this month, UFCW Local 1776 filed unfair labor practice claims with the NLRB, accusing Whole Foods of retaliatory termination of an employee involved in union activities while claiming that supervisors suggested higher pay would be attainable if workers rejected the union effort. Whole Foods countered that the employee’s termination was not linked to their union activities.
The union also alleged that Whole Foods withheld wage increases from Philadelphia store employees as a result of their unionization efforts.
The company acknowledged that it did not implement wage increases for those employees at that store, despite doing so in several other locations during a quarterly review.
Whole Foods explained that it would have been illegal to adjust wages before the union election, a claim that Young disputed, as the company opted to delay these pay raises to avoid any perception of trying to influence the election results.
Amazon, which calls Seattle home, has made clear its opposition to unionization movements among its workforce. Delivery drivers in various U.S. cities staged strikes last December to pressure the corporation either to recognize their union status or to meet their demands for terms on a labor contract.
Next month, workers at an Amazon warehouse in North Carolina plan to vote on whether to affiliate with a newly formed union known as Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment.
In court, Amazon has also contested the structure of the National Labor Relations Board, alleging interference in the 2022 union election at the Staten Island facility, partly due to a legal action taken against the company to reinstate a terminated organizer around the start of the voting period.
