In late January, workers at Whole Foods in Philadelphia voted to join the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1776. Now, the Amazon-owned grocery store is calling on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), to nullify the election, claiming the election results still need to be certified by a regional director, which Whole Foods says can’t lawfully be done since the agency currently does not have a third board member in Washington, DC. President Trump illegally fired Board Chair Gwynne A. Wilcox after taking office in January.
The company also says the union interfered in the election process by promising employees a 30 percent wage increase if they unionized and providing free transportation to employees the day of the vote. The upscale grocer also claims the union intimidated employees who supported Whole Foods. The company did not provide specific details on its allegations, which the union disputes.
In a statement from union officials, UFCW Local 1776 called the company’s allegations baseless. It also said the objections filed by Whole Foods were a legal maneuver to delay the bargaining process.
“We fully expected Whole Foods to try to stall this process,” said Wendell Young, IV, the president of the Local 1776. “Amazon has a well-documented history of using baseless objections to undermine the rights of workers seeking representation, and this case is no different.”
In its objection to the election, the company also accused the NLRB of tainting the process by keeping the grocery store from communicating its views on unionization to employees through captive audience meetings.
With no quorum at the NRLB, the union and the company will likely be at a standstill for the foreseeable future.
