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Whole Foods violated workers’ rights when it banned them from wearing “Black Lives Matter” face masks, according to a complaint that was filed last week by the National Labor Relations Board.
The “consolidated complaint,” issued by a San Francisco director of the National Labor Relations Board, claims that the company was stepping on its employees’ rights by having the dress code which banned face masks and other apparel that supported the social movement. The US labor board prosecutors’ complaint even goes on to state that the Amazon-owned company even fired, sent home or otherwise punished staffers who wore BLM masks or pins. This is so bad!
THE NLRB’s San Fran regional director Jill Coffman explains in the statement that the grocery juggernaut illegally banned employees from wearing “Black Lives Matter” masks across the country, and specifically in ten states (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, Washington, Indiana, and California) last year.
“Issues of racial harassment and discrimination are central to employees’ working conditions, and the National Labor Relations Act protects employees’ right to advocate for change,” Coffman stated. “Through this complaint, we hope to enforce the Act and protect workers’ rights to speak up about these important issues.”
Whole Foods stands by their policy, however.
“Our dress code policy is designed to ensure we are giving Team Members a workplace and customers a shopping experience focused entirely on excellent service and high-quality food,” they said in their own statement. “We do not believe we should compromise that experience by introducing any messages on uniforms, regardless of the content, that shift the focus away from our mission.”
We’ll be keeping an eye on this evolving story, and how it affects workers’ rights!
