On November 22, workers at a Whole Foods store in Philadelphia filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). This marks the first such filing by Whole Foods workers since logistics giant Amazon acquired the grocery store chain in 2017.

Amazon has gained a reputation as a notoriously anti-union employer as it has faced down a growing swell of unionization efforts from its workforce across the country. Now the corporation is contending with union drives not just among its own warehouse workers and delivery drivers but from its prominent grocery subsidiary as well.

Workers at the Philly store say they were driven to organize by low wages and what they describe as worsening conditions since Amazon took over Whole Foods. Jacobin’s Sara Wexler sat down with three Whole Foods workers to discuss why they decided to unionize, the company’s attempts to union bust, and what might be coming next.

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Contributors

Ben Lovett has worked at Whole Foods for two years in prepared foods and e-commerce.

Edward Dupree has worked at Whole Food Center City since its reopening in 2016. He has spent eight years as a produce team member.

Leeya Mehari has worked as a retail team member at Whole Foods in the bakery department for one year.

Sara Wexler is a member of UAW Local 2710 and a PhD student at Columbia University.

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