Whole Foods workers back union in challenge to Amazon

A majority of workers at a Whole Foods Market store in Philadelphia voted to join the United Food and Commercial Workers International union, giving organized labor a new foothold at parent company Amazon.

The employees voted 130-100 in favor of the union on Monday. Union advocates said they want higher wages, better medical benefits and worker protection. About 300 employees at the location were eligible to vote, including butchers, bakers, cooks, dishwashers and those who fulfill online orders. The UFCW has about 1.2 million members in supermarkets, pharmacies, meat packing plants and other industries.

"We are ready to bring Whole Foods to the bargaining table to negotiate a fair first contract that reflects the workers' needs and priorities," UFCW Local 1776 President Wendell Young IV said in an emailed statement.

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Whole Foods, through a spokesperson, emailed a statement saying: "We are disappointed by the outcome of this election, but we are committed to maintaining a positive working environment in our Philly Center City store."

As the nation's second-largest private-sector employer behind Walmart Inc., Amazon and its affiliates have long been a target of organized labor. But the overwhelming majority of the company's US workforce isn't unionized.

Quebec Closure

Amazon earlier this month announced it would shut down seven warehouses in Quebec and cut nearly 2,000 jobs less than a year after some workers there voted to unionize. Amazon said the decision to close its own warehouses and contract with other carriers was unrelated to the union push.

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The Amazon Labor Union, now affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, won a union election at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York, in 2022. The Teamsters have also been trying to organize drivers who work for small businesses dedicated to Amazon deliveries.

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union has tried unsuccessfully to organize an Amazon facility in Alabama, where a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled a third election should be held following allegations of misconduct by management during votes in 2021 and 2022. Amazon has denied any wrongdoing.

Nearly 5,000 Amazon warehouse workers in North Carolina are scheduled to vote next month to determine if they'll be represented by the upstart Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment.

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If the result in Philadelphia is officially certified by the NLRB, the company will be legally required to collectively bargain with employees. Amazon has so far refused to negotiate at the Staten Island warehouse, instead alleging misconduct in the union election there and challenging the constitutionality of the NLRB in federal court.

Companies like Amazon may soon get a more sympathetic ear under NLRB appointees of President Donald Trump, whose ally Elon Musk has repeatedly clashed with the agency.