Workers at Philadelphia Whole Foods rally for union protections and a raise: "Make Amazon pay"
Workers at a bustling Philadelphia grocery store gathered to publicly demand a raise as they await a union election.
Some employees of the Whole Foods Market at 22nd Street and Pennsylvania Avenue picketed outside the store on Monday, along with members and officials from the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776.
People in the crowd held signs that read "Make Amazon pay Whole Foods workers." Amazon has owned the Whole Foods brand since a merger in 2017.
"Whole Foods announced wage increases for all the other stores in the Philly area except for this one, and told them because they're trying to form a union, they're not giving them those increases," UFCW 1776 President Wendell Young said at the demonstration.
A spokesperson for Whole Foods said in an email that the store "cannot legally implement wage changes at our Philly Center City store during the election process. As a result, the company is delaying implementation of this market wage adjustment at our Philly Center City store until after the election to avoid the appearance that Whole Foods Market is trying to influence votes one way or the other."
The spokesperson added that the Center City store will get a wage adjustment when it's legal for Whole Foods to do so.
Here's a statement the company provided to CBS News Philadelphia.
At Whole Foods Market, we remain committed to listening to our Team Members, making changes based on their feedback, and treating all of our Team Members fairly in a safe, inclusive working environment, while providing our Team Members with career advancement opportunities, great benefits, and market competitive compensation. Whole Foods Market recognizes the rights of our Team Members to make an informed decision on whether union representation is right for them. We agree with the overwhelming majority of our Team Members who value our open door policy and our ability to quickly respond to the needs of our workforce.
Petitions for a union election were filed with the National Labor Relations Board in November. The federal agency set an election date at the store for Monday, Jan. 27, 2025.
The NLRB said there are 300 employees in the bargaining unit, a mix of full- and part-time workers.