On September 12, 2019, Business Insider reported that Whole Foods will be changing their benefits structure for part-time employees, beginning on January 1, 2020. Despite being owned by Amazon, Inc., which has been described as “the most valuable company in the world,” Whole Foods will no longer allow part-time employees who work less than 30 hours per week to purchase health coverage through the company. This is a significant change from previous policy, which allowed part-time employees who work at least 20 hours per week to purchase health coverage through the company. Whole Foods argues that the policy change will allow the company to “better meet the needs” of the business and to “create a more equitable and efficient scheduling model.” However, the nearly 2,000 employees affected by this new policy may have difficulty obtaining coverage outside of the company. Labor advocates assert that the change in benefits effectively cancels out the pay increase that Amazon announced recently, which establishes a $15 per hour minimum wage for all Amazon employees.
Last Updated on May 15, 2020 by Aimed Alliance
