Whole Foods Workers Form First Union At Amazon-Owned Grocer

The union's election win, which workers called "historic," tees up another organizing battle inside Amazon's workforce.

Whole Foods workers in Philadelphia formed the chain’s first union on Monday, setting the stage for a larger organizing fight at the Amazon-owned grocer.

Employees at the company’s Center City location voted 130 to 100 in favor of joining the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776, according to a spokesperson at the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency overseeing the election.

Whole Foods has five business days to file a challenge to the results, though a spokesperson declined to say if it planned to.

“Whole Foods Market is proud to offer competitive compensation, great benefits, and career advancement opportunities to all Team Members,” the spokesperson said in an email. “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.”

In a statement through Local 1776, Whole Foods employees in Philadelphia said the company had “underestimated our determination and unity.”