Weather 
Workers at a Pennsylvania Whole Foods store voted on Monday to unionize, forming the first union in the organic grocery chain owned by Amazon.
A majority of the employees at the flagship store in Philadelphia’s Center City neighborhood voted to join a local chapter of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), which represents hundreds of thousands of employees at grocery chains nationwide. The union said 130 workers voted in favor and 100 workers voted against the move.
In a statement to , the union local chapter called the vote “a significant victory in their fight for fair wages, improved benefits, and a safer, more supportive workplace,” claiming the workers faced anti-union pressure and intimidation from Amazon in the lead-up to the vote.
“This fight is far from over, but today’s victory is an important step forward,” said chapter President Wendell Young IV. “We are ready to bring Whole Foods to the bargaining table to negotiate a fair first contract that reflects the workers’ needs and priorities.”
Whole Foods said in a statement it was “disappointed” by the results of the vote, but assured it was “committed to maintaining a positive working environment in our Philly Center City store.”
The company added it “is proud to offer competitive compensation, great benefits, and career advancement opportunities to all Team Members.”
Amazon has faced – and fought – several unionizing initiatives at its different businesses, most notably at its warehouses and delivery drivers. In one case, the workers succeeded in approving a union at a Staten Island warehouse, but the company has not joined the bargaining table so far. Delivery drivers have succeeded in unionizing in a few states, among them California, New York and Georgia.
In November, when the Philadelphia workers first filed their formal petition to hold the union vote, UFCW said in a statement they were fighting for better compensation and working conditions at “one of the most profitable organic grocers in the world.”
Some employees at the Philadelphia location had worked for the supermarket chain for decades, the statement said – but many still “struggle to afford rent, healthcare, childcare, and other basic necessities.”
“I believe workers’ rights are definitely under threat and this is one way we can fight back,” one Whole Foods worker named Leeya said in an Instagram video posted by a group of workers at the Center City store.
Another worker, identified as Ben, pointed to the rising cost of living. “We need improvement to our actual material conditions,” he said in the video, which was shared the day before the vote.
Several of the workers in the video complained of alleged union busting, claiming that Whole Foods management in recent months had pushed anti-union messaging, changed the staffing of the store, and tried to raise morale without addressing the workers’ demands.
Earlier this month, the local chapter of UFCW also filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board against Whole Foods, alleging the company had threatened and discriminated against pro-union employees and spied on their union activities – all violations of US labor law.
Last Thursday, just days before the vote, three US representatives from Pennsylvania issued a letter to Whole Foods CEO Jason Buechel and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, expressing concern over reports that workers were facing “various forms of obstruction by … management as they exercise their legal right to attempt to unionize.”
The lawmakers urged Whole Foods to allow the vote without interference and to respect the results.
This story has been updated with additional information.
