Now, a battle lies ahead when working out the first contract between Whole Foods and the unionized workers. "This is going to be the longest uphill battle of our lives, but this is not just for us. This is for the people who come behind us and for the people who have been here," said Khy Adams, a Whole Foods employee.
Workers at a flagship Whole Foods Market in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania voted to unionize and become the first union in the grocery chain's history.
Whole Foods said it was "disappointed" by the vote but "committed to maintaining a positive working environment"
The vote marks the first successful organizing effort at Whole Foods since Amazon acquired the grocer for $13.7 billion in 2017.
The union win, at a Philadelphia store where workers are seeking higher wages, comes as Amazon is also fighting organizing efforts among some warehouse employees and delivery drivers.
Workers at Philadelphia's Center City Whole Foods store voted on Monday to unionize, becoming the first local store in the chain owned by Amazon to formally organize under the United Food and Commercial Workers.
Some 300 workers at an Amazon-owned Whole Foods store in Philadelphia have voted to unionize, mirroring a pro-union shift in public opinion, according to Gallup.
Workers at a Pennsylvania Whole Foods store voted on Monday to unionize, forming the first union in the organic grocery chain owned by Amazon.
Workers voted 130-100 for union representation at the Center City in Philadelphia, according to the National Labor Relations Board.
Austin-based Whole Foods, which is owned by Amazon, is the latest grocery chain to contend with unionization after workers in Philly voted in favor.
The grocery chain’s store in Philadelphia becomes the first to join a union, where workers hope to expand organizing to other outlets and across the Amazon empire.