Whole Foods Gains its First Union in Company History
After a year of employee planning and organization, a union was established at a Whole Foods in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 27. The union, located at the Philly Center City store, became the first organized labor union in the Whole Foods system.
CBS News reports the union was established “for the purposes of collective bargaining.” About 57% of the store’s employees voted in favor of joining The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.
Wendell Young, President of United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1776 (UFCWL 1776), told WHYY (PBS):
“When the forecasters say there’s going to be snow, our members rise to the occasion. They go into sprint mode, they will work more hours and get more done.”
According to WHYY, The United Food and Commercial Workers “represents about 35,000 workers, mostly across Pennsylvania, of which 65% work in supermarkets.”
Whole Foods is disappointed with the unionization of its Philly Center City store. The corporation told CBS News “it is proud to offer competitive compensation, great benefits, and career advancement opportunities to all Team Members… we are committed to maintaining a positive working environment in our Philly Center City store.”
It is unknown if the union at the Philly Center City Whole Foods has been acknowledged by Amazon. Whole Foods is a subsidiary of Amazon, which has a history of being unwelcome to unions being established in its system.
