Whole Truth

To read the Whole Foods Core Values manifesto, one would think every employee started his or her shift with a group hug and soothing massage from company CEO John Mackey. But while the text speaks of equity, harmony and respect for labour, from the other side of the Whole Foods mouth comes a big “screw you” to workers who think a union might better serve their interests.

Joining sides with such well-known anti-union corporate bullies as Wal-Mart and McDonalds, Whole Foods, along with the equally self-congratulatory Starbucks, are quietly backing removal of the “card-check” provision in the Employee Free Choice Act. The provision would force employers to recognize a union once a majority of employees have signed union authorization cards.

Whole Foods employees are currently facing reduced health coverage packages, which some have argued wouldn’t be happening if they were unionized. Mackey, who recently alienated much of his left-leaning target market by speaking out against health care reform, says he’s dedicated to keeping Whole Foods “100 per cent union-free.” Several former employees at a San Francisco store attribute their firings to their attempt to unionize.

by SCOTT SAXON