Whole Foods abandons health care for part-time workers

Whole Foods, the grocery chain owned by Amazon.com Inc., is removing the health benefits of its part-time workers, which could leave about 1,900 of them without medical coverage.

Beginning next year, Whole Foods employees must work at least 30 hours a week to qualify for the company's health insurance benefits, compared to 20 hours currently required.

The upscale grocery store, which has about 95,000 workers, said it was making the change "to better meet the needs of our business and create a more equitable and efficient scheduling model." ", according to Business Insider, who first reported the changes to the benefits. Whole Foods said it was helping workers to look for full-time jobs in its stores or to find other ways to get health coverage.

This decision has been strongly condemned by workers' rights activists, some of whom have argued that cuts in the health sector essentially defeat the interests of the government. higher minimum wage $ 15 the hour announced by Amazon last year.

"Amazon 's plan to reduce health care for these part – time employees is one of Jeff Bezos' most reckless attacks on job quality at Whole Foods and the communities that have been working. they support, "said Mark Perrone, president of the United International Union of Food and Trade Workers, said in a statement.

The online shopping giant Amazon, whose largest single shareholder is the founder of billionaire Jeff Bezos, purchased Whole Foods two years ago for nearly $ 14 billion, which reduced the price of some items, added a smile logo to the aisles and expanded delivery services to customers.