Whole Foods workers in Center City Philadelphia voted earlier this week to join the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776, making it the first union in the grocery chain’s history.
Amazon, which owns Whole Foods, said in a statement that it was disappointed but is “committed to maintaining a positive working environment in our Philly Center City store.” The company didn’t indicate whether it would challenge the union effort.
Whole Foods employees have claimed that they have “faced a relentless campaign of intimidation, misinformation, and anti-union tactics from Amazon and Whole Foods management.” The company says that it treats all team members fairly in a safe, inclusive working environment, and provides them with career advancement opportunities, great benefits, and market competitive compensation.
It will be interesting to see if the unionization of its workers in Center City has any effect on the store’s future. Earlier this month Amazon announced that it plans to close all seven of its warehouses in Quebec, Canada in order to avoid unionization of workers, according to the Associated Press.
