Philly Whole Foods workers petition for union recognition

In this Aug. 8, 2018, photo, shoppers enter a Whole Foods Market in Upper Saint Clair, Pa. | Gene J. Puskar/AP

In a first for Whole Foods under Amazon’s ownership, employees at a Philadelphia store have launched a unionization campaign to address mounting workplace issues, including understaffing, low wages, heightened productivity demands, and diminished benefits.

On November 22, workers formally submitted a petition to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to begin the unionization process for the store, which employs around 300 people. The workers are organizing with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1776, which represents employees in sectors such as retail, grocery, food processing, and healthcare.

Whole Foods, acquired by Amazon in 2017, has increasingly adopted practices associated with its parent company such as productivity tracking and cost-cutting measures that have heightened worker exploitation. Employees point to a worsening environment characterized by chronic understaffing, stagnant wages, and stricter performance metrics.

For instance, checkout and e-commerce workers are evaluated on “units per hour” (UPH), a metric that has added significant stress. Workers falling short of expected UPH rates often face reprimands, negative feedback in performance reviews, and reduced opportunities for raises.

Amazon’s labor practices prioritize productivity at significant cost to worker safety, as evidenced by a 2023 study revealing that nearly 70% of surveyed employees took unpaid time off due to work-related pain or exhaustion. Frequent injuries, including sprains and strains, are tied to relentless workloads and pervasive surveillance systems that monitor workers’ speed and idle time. While Amazon claims to improve safety measures, OSHA continues to issue citations for unsafe conditions.

Despite its legal obligation to negotiate with unions, Amazon spent over $17 million on anti-union campaigns in 2022-2023, including hiring union busters and using tactics such as surveillance, threats, and intimidation. At Amazon’s DBK4 facility in Queens, New York, a recent incident occurred where a union buster assaulted a worker and used homophobic slurs.

Whole Foods employees advocating for fair treatment may face similar opposition, but the growing union momentum across Amazon’s workforce signals that workers are increasingly unwilling to accept unsafe working conditions and inadequate compensation.

“Every decision that was made, slowly, was very obviously going the wrong way,” Logan Small, a worker-organizer at Whole Foods in Philly, told People’s World. “Hearing about things like part-time employees used to have benefits, and now they don’t really have any. It’s just continually changing for the worse.”

Workers at Whole Foods have been trying to organize a union at the company since 2002, when the first campaign to organize a store in Madison, Wis. was launched. The company, with then founder John Mackey at the helm, started using the union-busting playbook of captive audience meetings, firing of union organizers, and an appeal to the National Labor Relations Board to challenge the election. Other organizing drives around the country were similarly beaten back by the company.

Mackey once stated that Whole Foods was “beyond unions” and that unions “are like having herpes—it doesn’t kill you, but it’s unpleasant and inconvenient, and it stops a lot of people from becoming your lover.”

But the deteriorating conditions, including workload increases that force employees to take on tasks once divided among several positions, have pushed workers to organize collectively and take the fight straight to the bosses. They hope to reverse these negative trends by fighting for better pay, restored benefits, and a more equitable workplace.

“Sure, we’re a bougie overpriced grocery store, but we do necessary work,” Ed Dupree told In These Times. ​“We feed the community. We educate the community about the food they consume. Our jobs are important and contribute to society and we deserve a wage that allows us to comfortably live as well as benefits that allow us to be healthy and healthier.”

Has instilled fear

Amazon’s aggressive stance against unionization has instilled a fear of retaliation among some workers, a concern now affecting Whole Foods employees who worry about the repercussions of union involvement.

“A lot of people are scared that if they say something, they’ll be targeted or punished,” Small told People’s World. Nevertheless, employees at the Philadelphia store remain resolute. “An overwhelming majority of workers at our store have made it clear: we need a collective voice to fight for what we deserve,”

Workers point out the contrast between the company’s record profits—$93.8 billion in 2023—and their struggles with low wages, inadequate benefits, and physically demanding conditions.

“We work hard and have a lot of passion for what we do,” the statement continued. “But no matter how long we’ve been with the company, we should all be recognized and compensated fairly for our work.”

The UFCW has been trying to organize Whole Foods now for over 20 years. “We believe that one good job should be enough to live on — that grocery workers should never have to struggle to pay rent or meet basic needs,” the union said. “We know that when we all come together, we have the power to get the respect and dignity we deserve and hold employers accountable.”

Concerns about the broader labor environment weigh on the campaign. Union members worry about the potential for a less union-friendly NLRB under an incoming Trump administration, given past appointments of pro-business board members.

However, Trump’s pick for Secretary of Labor, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, is one of only three House Republicans to co-sponsor the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act and one of only eight Republicans to co-sponsor the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act. The question of whether she will prioritize pro-worker policies or yield to an anti-union president who actively promoted a big-business agenda during his first term is still unanswered.

Organizers believe a timely election is essential to prevent possible setbacks that could arise under changing federal labor policies. Despite these challenges, they are determined to inspire a larger movement of workers standing up to corporate greed.

“We hope that word gets out, and that our story encourages other stores to follow suit and organize,” Small said.

The Philadelphia campaign is not just about one store—it aims to set an example for Whole Foods and Amazon workers nationwide, demonstrating that collective action can lead to better conditions for all, the union said.

“We can and will fight for what we deserve: fair pay, better working conditions, and a voice for all!”

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CONTRIBUTOR

Bradley Crowe

Bradley Crowe writes from Philadelphia.

Cameron Harrison

Cameron Harrison is a trade union activist and organizer for the CPUSA Labor Commission. Based in Detroit, he was a grocery worker and member of UFCW Local 876 where he was a shop steward. He also works as a Labor Education Coordinator for the People Before Profits Education Fund, assisting labor organizations and collectives with education, organizing strategy and tactics, labor journalism, and trade union support.