Whole Foods employees claim their hours were cut after the company moved to a $15 minimum wage.
Amazon, which purchased Whole Foods in 2017, is reportedly cutting employee hours at the grocery store chain in order to manage the costs of the $15 minimum wage it enacted last fall.
Amazon made the voluntary decision to up its pay rate for all employees in November after public pressure following publicity around its pay practices at its warehouses.
According to a report by The Guardian, after the $15 minimum wage went into effect some part-time employees saw hours drop from 30 hours to 21 hours a week, and full-time employees saw their hours fall from 37.5 hours to 34.5 hours.
“We just have to work faster to meet the same goals in less time,” an Illinois-based employee told The Guardian.
According to Fast Company, Whole Foods denied the claims, noting: “Our full-time store Team Members averaged the same number of hours in January and February 2019 as they did during the same time last year.”
The company did not address the claims about part-time employee hours.
According to The Guardian article, employees in California claim the decrease in hours is resulting in understaffing problems, including long lines.
