Is this true, and if so, what do you think?!

when are CEO's gonna learn to keep politics out of business?

This... I can agree with. People are already looking to condemn you... why throw fuel on the fire? Companies are going to have start hiring PR people just to handle their CEO's!

And can I just add that by boycotting a company for something their CEO said... you are ALSO hurting all those under-paid people that work for them.

Nope. There are no Whole Foods in my area. I mostly do my grocery shopping at the local chain grocery store… They started out as one store in my hometown area, and now have 119 locations within NY, VT & I believe MA. I don't know what their stance on unions are (I want to say they don't have unions, at least, I was unaware of any union activity when I worked there as a teen) but they do a boatload of charity work within the communities they serve. And, they have a pretty cool deal with Sonoco gas stations- for every X amount of $ you spend there, you get 10 cents off per gallon at participating stations; I've only found one Sonoco station that did not participate, and that was up in Burlington VT.

I also supplement with the co-op down the road from me, but it's on the expensive side. If I were wealthy, I'd probably do a lot more of my shopping there, cause it's a hugely kickass co-op.

Grocery stores are non-skilled trades with ample amounts of people to employ, and I see no need for them to unionize. If you need higher wages and benefits than the company can afford, you need to find a different job. Unions only get power when the workers have a skill to negotiate with.

Allowing unions and benefits would be a crazy increase of cost for basic food items. This will not benefit anyone BESIDES the workers there. The barely-scraping by families don't need their grocery bill to sky rocket. More people would have to turn to gov't aid which will then be reflected in taxes and we get to pay more of those, too.
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I've worked for a non-unionized small family owned grocer and was treated fine. I applied to a unionized grocer and at the hours that I could work during school (~20/wk) the union dues would be about half my salary.

Look... I feel very strongly about unions. My father was "possibly" murdered (ruled an accident due to circumstantial evidence) because he joined a union. My cousin has been unemployed for two years and can't support his 4 kids because he is union and no one will hire him. And as wonderful as they sound, union leadership is usually as corrupt as the next crook. If you want unions to fix things, then you are going to have to start by reforming the unions, then enforce stricter laws to form compliance. But realize that no matter what actions are taken to change things, there are going to be some growing pains in the economy that are going to lead to many many more people out of work. It might just be easier to let these businesses grow and allow them the opportunity to choose to do the right thing for their employees on their own rather than forcing them to do it. Your expectations for these companies is unrealistic. If you force them to do more for their employees, and they can't pay for it, then ultimately, the businesses will close and more people will be out of work.

I never shop there or at Trader Joes. Not because I don't like their business models but because I don't like the people i find in the stores near my house.

I can't see the original pic...but I can gather what it is about...I support a local family owned chain of grocery stores. They know me, and when I had my identity stolen and had to use starter checks...they honored them because they recognized me...that means a lot to me.

Now...lets talk about walmart...not going in there...ever...no seriously...I've been there..and ever since People of Walmart came out, I'm scared sh******** to go in there...there are some pretty creepy people there.

just saying.

The National Labor Relations Act makes it illegal for him to fire anyone for trying to form a union, or for forming one. I doubt this is true because he would most likely be paying more in legal fees and lawsuits than he would if he just gave them a rasie.

Have none of you ever worked in retail? The National Labor Relations Act is only relevant for certain industries. Retail is not one of them.

Actually retail store employees have every right to unionize if they choose, most companies are anti-union though and try and instill doubt in their employees to keep them from unionizing. This happened with Target in 2011.

Most states are right-to-work. I don't know about yours though. Right-to-work means they can fire you for whatever reason they want so long as they are prepared to pay or fight an unemployment claim.

Right-to-work or employment-at-will certainly does NOT mean they can fire you for whatever reason they want. Many things have been carved out of this general rule...disability, age, sex, religion, etc. In addition, you cannot be fired for engaging in activities protected by the NLRA, such as discussing the formation of union. This does most certainly apply to retail.

ETA: I'm certainly not in favor of retail employees unionizing, just stating the rules.

I live in the US. Where we (well, I should qualify.... taxpayers) will pay for an enire college education for ya. In my own case, I never outlaid penny ONE from the time my parents entered me in Kindergarten, until I graduated from a university with a bachelor's degree. I DO have student loans to pay for, but I also have a bachelors degree. Which sure helped me avoid those kinds of jobs where part-time is the best I could hope for.

In other countries, all this education would have had a hefty price tag, right from the start, and would have been reserved for those whose families could afford it. Here, all children are educated at the very least from K-12. Even when they aren't grateful. Even when they have special education challenges. Even when they don't speak English. Even when they hate us for it.

And you are resentful of all this.....because???

Or should only the "deserved" be given a decent life?

Resentful!? I don't know how you got that idea.

I'm a teacher. I value and respect education more than anything. It bugs me when people don't use the opportunities we provide to them. I was pointing out how, in my opinion, in the US, we are all on a level playing field when it comes to educational opportunities, and that's why I don't feel sorry for those who refuse to take advantage of them.

You've got bootstraps, the government pays for them. They're called education. Use 'em.

That's what I meant. I'm the opposite of resentful.

My husband works in a Kroger warehouse. His union does jack *kitten* for the dues they collect. It concedes whatever the company wants ... the contract isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

So....if someone needs a job, they'll got to WF and work. And many of us will keep shopping there...

I don't know if it's true or not, but considering Texas (where Whole Foods is based) is a right to work state. That does not prohibit employees from forming or joining a union. It does, however, forbid REQUIRING employees to join a union. That being said, it doesn't matter where the company is based, if there is a branch/chain/store location in a Union state, the company has to abide by the rules in that state.

Based on this knowledge, I'm going to conclude that the information is FALSE, and kindly request that people reading this stream take the time to actually think for themselves and not just believe everything they read on the internet.

However, for those of you who do believe everything you read on the internet, I'm 5'8" and weight 135 pounds.

I don't know if it's true or not, but considering Texas (where Whole Foods is based) is a right to work state. That does not prohibit employees from forming or joining a union. It does, however, forbid REQUIRING employees to join a union. That being said, it doesn't matter where the company is based, if there is a branch/chain/store location in a Union state, the company has to abide by the rules in that state.

Based on this knowledge, I'm going to conclude that the information is FALSE, and kindly request that people reading this stream take the time to actually think for themselves and not just believe everything they read on the internet.

However, for those of you who do believe everything you read on the internet, I'm 5'8" and weight 135 pounds.

This. All of it. Except I'm 125.

I live in the US. Where we (well, I should qualify.... taxpayers) will pay for an enire college education for ya. In my own case, I never outlaid penny ONE from the time my parents entered me in Kindergarten, until I graduated from a university with a bachelor's degree. I DO have student loans to pay for, but I also have a bachelors degree. Which sure helped me avoid those kinds of jobs where part-time is the best I could hope for.

In other countries, all this education would have had a hefty price tag, right from the start, and would have been reserved for those whose families could afford it. Here, all children are educated at the very least from K-12. Even when they aren't grateful. Even when they have special education challenges. Even when they don't speak English. Even when they hate us for it.

And you are resentful of all this.....because???

Or should only the "deserved" be given a decent life?

Resentful!? I don't know how you got that idea.

I'm a teacher. I value and respect education more than anything. It bugs me when people don't use the opportunities we provide to them. I was pointing out how, in my opinion, in the US, wea re all on a level playing field when it comes to educational opportunities, and that's why I don't feel sorry for those who refuse to take advantage of them.

You've got bootstraps, the government pays for them. They're called education. Use 'em.

That's what I meant. I'm the opposite of resentful.

I wouldn't necessarily say that it is an equal playing field. There is a lot of variations in the quality of education from school system to school system and even from school to school.

There IS a LOT of variation. I have taught in rich white suburbia and I have taught in Oakland. I've seen the disparity. But I've also seen the success stories come out of both places.

I am NOT suggesting that it is easy. But it is true, that all kids in the US are entitled to free K-12 education. What they make of it is largely up to them.

People shopping for the lowest prices don't always think about the company policies which allow these lower prices. Price shopping doesn't sound quite as wonderful when you realize that the employees at the bargain store may have to work when they are ill else use a vacation day, or they don't get benefits at all because their hours are kept just below the full-time employee threshold, or their company has taken advantage of high unemployment by paying bare-bones wages which wouldn't retain employees in a normal economy.

When when making purchases you're not only buying the desired products, but in a very real way you are voting your support of that company's corporate citizenship, including its treatment of employees, environmental impact, support of certain political causes, etc.

Just my 3 cents.

I like you.

Me too!

Lucky you. I managed to get through three semesters of college before I ran out of money to pay for it and had to enter the workforce in order to put food on the table and pay the rent. Unfortunately, that left me without the time to go to school. Suddenly, the loans were due, and paying them back rendered putting food on the table and paying the rent the ONLY things I could do. Forget getting a better education to get a better job. I need a better job just to GET the education. And I'm talking community college here, not private school. The US financial assistance programs for post-secondary education assume that, unless you were abused as a child, joined the military, or got married, your parents are footing the bill until age 24. Now hopefully, when I DO hit 24, I will have access to more financial aid to make school a possibility, but until then, it's just not working out for me. And in the meantime, I just have to make sure I don't fall behind and go into default on these loans, because then I'd be REALLY screwed.

They have forbearances. They have payment plans. I myself am on a forbearance right now. Student loans are NOT going to put you in the street. It may be uncomfortable to carry that much debt, but they aren't going to haul you off to debtors jail.

Nobody's arm is being twisted to work there, get another job if you are unhappy with the pay or benefits

Absolutely right!