Workers at Philadelphia Whole Foods Market become 1st to unionize at the Amazon-owned grocery chain

Workers at a Whole Foods Market in Pennsylvania voted to unionize on Monday, becoming the first group of employees to pull off a labor win at the Amazon-owned grocery store chain.

Employees at the Philadelphia store at 21st Street and Pennsylvania Avenue cast 130 votes — or about 57% of the ballots cast — in favor of joining a local chapter of The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union for the purposes of collective bargaining. According to the National Labor Relations Board, which oversaw the election, 100 workers rejected the motion.

"This fight is far from over, but today's victory is an important step forward," said Wendell Young IV, the president of UFCW Local 1776. "We are ready to bring Whole Foods to the bargaining table to negotiate a fair first contract that reflects the workers' needs and priorities."