Workers at a Pennsylvania Whole Foods store voted on Monday to unionize, forming the first union in the organic grocery chain owned by Amazon.
Whole Foods workers at the Spring Garden store have expressed frustration about low pay and want better health-care benefits.
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Workers voted 130-100 for union representation at the Center City in Philadelphia, according to the National Labor Relations Board.
The Amazon-owned grocery store brand says it's 'disappointed' in the employees' plan to join the United Food and Commercial Workers union.
Workers at a Whole Foods Market in Philly have voted to unionize, becoming the first group of employees to pull off a labor win at the chain.
Now, a battle lies ahead when working out the first contract between Whole Foods and the unionized workers. "This is going to be the longest uphill battle of our lives, but this is not just for us. This is for the people who come behind us and for the people who have been here," said Khy Adams, a Whole Foods employee.
The vote marks the first successful organizing effort at Whole Foods since Amazon acquired the grocer for $13.7 billion in 2017.
A majority of workers at a Whole Foods location in Philadelphia have voted to unionize, as reported by Reuters. This makes the Pennsylvania store the first to unionize under Amazon’s ownership, and the second time overall.
The grocery chain’s store in Philadelphia becomes the first to join a union, where workers hope to expand organizing to other outlets and across the Amazon empire.
The strike is set to unfold amid a massive assault against immigrant workers by Trump, the tip of the spear of his bid for a presidential dictatorship.