Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Whole Foods workers at a flagship store in Philadelphia have won the supermarket chain's first labor union since its 2017 purchase by Amazon.

"Despite a tsunami of illegal union busting tactics, lies, intimidation, surveillance, workers persevered and Won!!" employees at the Whole Foods store in Philadelphia's Center City posted on Instagram after Monday's 130-100 vote to join United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1776.

The workers filed for a union election in November 2024 in their fight for fair compensation and better working conditions.

"The reason I want a union is because I want workers to be paid and treated the way that they deserve by these billion-dollar companies we make money for," Mase Veney, a Whole Foods produce department worker, shared in a video on Instagram.

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Another pro-union employee, Leeya Girmay, spoke to the erosion of rights and benefits since Amazon's takeover, a message echoed by produce worker Ed Dupree, who said, "I think a union would be very important to this company because I've seen the decline with my eyes."

"So many of my coworkers are very much so just struggling to get by," Dupree explained. "Many of them just want to take time out of their day to just do things for themselves, and they can't afford it. They don't have the healthcare benefits to do it. And Whole Foods constantly tells people that it's okay – and it's not."

Throughout the unionization campaign, workers have complained that Whole Foods management has sought to stifle their organizing efforts.

The UFCW filed charges on January 8 accusing Whole Foods of labor law violations, including threatening and discriminating against pro-union workers and spying on union activities.

Last Thursday, Pennsylvania Representatives Brendan Boyle, Mary Gay Scanlon, and Dwight Evans penned a letter to Whole Foods Market CEO Jason Buechel and Amazon Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos urging them to allow the union election to proceed without corporate interference.

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"These workers are the foundation of your business, and their desire to exercise their rights is one that should be respected, not obstructed," the three members of Congress wrote.

"We hope you will respect both the process and the outcome of Monday's election, and that you will show your workers the consideration they deserve as they make this decision for themselves."