Whole Foods workers in Philadelphia vote to form Amazon-owned grocery store's first union
The vote marks the first successful organizing effort at Whole Foods since Amazon acquired the grocer for $13.7 billion in 2017.
Whole Foods employees at a Philadelphia store voted to form a union Monday night, marking the first successful organizing campaign at the Amazon-owned upscale grocer.
Store workers cast 130 votes in favor and 100 votes against joining the United Food and Commercial Workers union, a spokesperson for the UFCW said. The store, which is located in Philadelphia's Spring Garden neighborhood, employs roughly 300 workers.
The vote is the latest instance of Amazon workers putting pressure on the company to deliver higher wages and safety improvements. Amazon has faced an upswing in organizing among its warehouse and delivery workforce in recent years. The company has argued its employees don't need unions, which stand to disrupt the control it has over its workforce.
Staffers are hoping that a union will help them negotiate for higher wages, improvements to their schedules and secure "a fair workload that doesn't leave us burned out," according to a UFCW webpage detailing the campaign. Employees at the store filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board in November.