By taking this pledge, you are committing to participate in a nationwide Whole Foods sick-out on May 1, 2020. By refusing to work on this day, we stand in solidarity with other Whole Foods team members and workers across the nation whose jobs remain unsafe in the face of the COVID19 pandemic.

It is impossible to properly follow social distancing guidelines in stores when interacting with customers, Amazon Prime shoppers, and other employees both on the floor and in the back of the house. As a result, Whole Foods team members are putting their lives at risk by coming to work. At least two Whole Foods team members have already died from coronavirus.

Our current paid sick leave policy, which requires a formal diagnosis or a doctor-ordered quarantine in order to receive the two weeks pay, is not adequate to keep workers safe. We cannot be expected to stay home from work without knowing whether or not we will be paid for our lost hours. Our current pay is not adequate compensation for the risk that the job poses to Whole Foods team members and their families.

For these reasons, we are engaging in a mass sickout and exercising our right to refuse unsafe work conditions as defined by the Occupational Safety and Hazards Act (OSHA) - General Duty Clause which states in Section 5(a)(1):

"Each employer shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees"

By engaging in concerted activity with fellow team members we are also exercising the right to organize and strike as defined by Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). These federal laws ban any employer from illegal retaliation, including wrongful termination, reduction of hours, demotions, etc, against any employee who exercises these rights. We will file charges against any retaliatory action on the part of Whole Foods and their representatives.

We call on all team members to join us this May 1st, International Workers Day, along with other workers across the nation, to fight for our lives, and ensure our safety. #EssentialWorkersDay


For those who are afraid to fill out this survey and would like to be anonymous, we have created an anonymous version: https://forms.gle/5d3GYdEMwNhNPH7Q7

In love and solidarity,

Whole Worker’s National Organizing Committee


Link to our May 1 announcement and following steps: https://www.wholeworker.org/statements/zexem4ltq30n17gnz4w4ra0i8w6e4a

Strike Fund link:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/wholefoodsmay1strikefund

Solidarity Tee:
https://left-out-magazine.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/strike-fund-solidarity-tee