Whole Foods Has Bright Idea: a Fat Tax for Employees

Because let's be honest, that's pretty much what it is. In keeping with CEO John Mackey's nutty ideas about health care, Whole Foods will now begin discounting its food for employees--skinny employees, that is.

That's right. If employers are willing to prove their BMI, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure are satisfactory (not intrusive at all, right?) then they get 10 percent more off Whole Foods products. Oh, and by the way, you can't smoke your way down a size, because that's off limits, too, if you want the discount.

This seems more than a little unfair to us. Sure, the company can claim they're rewarding good behaviors, but any policy that discriminates like this is really punishing other employees for engaging in what Whole Foods sees as bad behaviors. And who is Whole Foods to decide what's good for employees' health? What if employees have weight problems, or problems with high cholesterol that are largely beyond their control? What if overweight employees are very healthy? What if employees that fall into the right BMI zone are not so healthy in other ways?

And for a libertarian like Mackey, this new policy seems a little...creepily controlling, to us.

Health Care Advocates Storm Chamber of Commerce

UFCW members and other health care advocates stormed the Chamber of Commerce today, surrounding the building and spilling over the sidewalks and into the street along H Street in front of the White House.

The message was clear- it's time for health care that serves the American people, not wealthy corporate lobbyists.

Photos from today's event:

Call your members of Congress. NOW!!!!

You want to talk about the fierce urgency of now? No better time for your Congressman or Senator to hear from you than today. Why? Because we need to make sure Congress doesn't learn the wrong lessons from the MA election yesterday.

When it comes to the need to make good health care affordable, nothing is different today than it was yesterday. Congress must keep going and finish reform right.

We must fix health care now to keep improving our economy. We cannot continue to allow medical expenses to bankrupt our nation’s families and businesses.

Massachusetts has shown that health reform works, with 98% of people covered and insurers not allowed to deny people based on pre-existing conditions. For voters in Massachusetts, the issue was about what they are worried about now - jobs. It wasn't about health care.

We are on track to pass a strong bill in the next few weeks, and we will stay on track until the President signs that bill into law. But you need to let your members of Congress know that the American people still want health care reform! Call right now--this second--it's not too late! Here's the switchboard number: (202) 224-3121.

Sarah Palin Tells Union Members to Reject Improvements to the Health Care Bill

We recently posted about the improvements to the tax portion of the health care bill for all workers which union members helped to make possible. Well, Sarah Palin apparently thinks union members should reject this bill. At first, she Tweeted this:

"Pls pay attention 2 Big Union backdoor deal struck yest w/Big Govt in sweetheart healthcare deal.Call the folks u elected,say NO! UNFAIR.."

Then she apparently remembered she's supposed to be in favor of unions and working people, so she then Tweeted this:

"good,hardworking pro-business UnionMEMBERS should oppose their UnionBOSSES backroom deal on this;unfortunately/unfairly paints all of'm bad."

What do you think? Should union members tell Congress to go back to taxing union health care plans, and dental and vision for all workers? Union members worked hard to make sure all workers could have better health care--should we drop these improvements to make ex-Governor Palin feel better?

Unions Help Improve Health Care Bill For All Workers

Union leaders have been working hard behind the scenes for the last few days to improve the health care bill for all working people.

Since they know the so-called "Cadillac Plan" tax would unfairly impact union members who have given up wages and other benefits in order to preserve their health care plans, they've been working with the White House and Congress to improve that part of the health care plan. And it looks like union leaders have helped make significant improvements:

• Workers covered by collective bargaining agreements, including state and local employees both union and non-union, will be exempted from the tax until 2018.

• For all workers, the threshold for the tax would be higher for both families and individuals than the Senate bill has proposed.

• After 2015, dental and vision would not count towards the tax, which means employers will not try to cut costs by cutting dental and vision from health care plans.

This is all great news for union members and non-union workers alike. And it's thanks to union members like you making calls to your members of Congress and putting constant pressure on them, and because of our union leaders working tirelessly with the White House and Congress to get the best health care deal for workers.

But like most things in life - there is still work to be done. The bill still is catastrophic for one in four Americans who work part-time, and puts millions at risk of having their hours reduced so their employer can avoid paying for their health care.

UFCW locals across the country are working hard to lobby Congress and get this dangerous provision changed. Join us, and call your member of Congress. Visit www.fixthebill.org to learn more and take part in our effort.

UFCW Employers Donate to Help Haitians in Need

The Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) has put out a partial list of corporate donors who've contributed in response of the Haitian earthquake. Several UFCW employers are on the list:

Cargill

ConAgra

Disney

Kraft

Heinz, and

Campbell Soup Co.

UFCW members working for these companies can be proud of their employers and their willingness to help out in a time of need.

And for those UFCW members or others who want to donate, AT&T and the State Department have made it possible for you to donate simply by texting "HAITI" to 90999. Your $10 donation will go to the Red Cross to aid Haiti, and will show up on your next telephone bill.

Hey, UFCW Members--are you a Fan of Wake Up Walmart Yet?

Wake Up Walmart has launched a new Facebook page!

Now most groups have a Facebook page. If you're using social networks, you most likely have gotten requests to join pages on sites like Facebook and wondered if it was worth your time. And we value your time, to be sure. So why should you join the Wake Up Walmart page instead of say, the Keyboard Cat Fan Page (though really, you could join both)?

The difference between joining the Wake Up Walmart page and any other group is the opportunities that it is going to give you to become active in the fight to keep good paying jobs and local business in your community. It is going to let you know what you can do to keep industry standards for wages, health care, sick days, and working condition high. And it is going to let you get up to the minute news on the Wake Up Walmart campaign and the Walmart company itself. You can also connect with Wake Up Walmart supporters and share your ideas and stories.

So head on over to Facebook and check it out. Don't worry, Wake Up Walmart promises not to be spammy!

Good News for the Middle Class? Potential Movement on the Unfair Insurance Tax

Potential good news for union members: it looks like President Obama and members of Congress may be willing to negotiate so that fewer people would be affected by the so-called "Cadillac Plan" tax, including fewer union members. AP reports that although many ideas are under discussion, Obama:

is open to adjusting the tax so it would affect fewer people. There has been discussion of raising the threshold for the tax from $23,000 to $25,000 or higher. It has already been raised for first responders and workers in certain high-risk fields, and the levy could be softened for more unionized professions.

The foregone revenue from tweaking the insurance tax would be made up from the investment accounts of upper-income earners. (Pensions and retirement accounts would not be taxed.) The Senate bill already calls for raising the Medicare payroll tax on wages to 2.35 percent for couples making over $250,000 and individuals making more than $200,000.

Union leaders, including UFCW President Joe Hansen, met with President Obama yesterday to discuss the tax and its negative impacts on middle-class families and union members. And while it's still too early to say if enough progress has been or will be made, the negotiations are certainly a step in the right direction.

UFCW STATEMENT ON PROPOSED SALE OF PENN TRAFFIC

Washington, DC - Early this morning, Penn Traffic filed a motion in federal bankruptcy court to approve a sale of the company's assets to Tops Markets. The motion is subject to court approval and any higher and better offers. The following is a joint statement of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, UFCW Local 1, UFCW Local 23, and UFCW Local 1776, which collectively represent approximately 4,800 Penn Traffic employees:

"Today represents a significant milestone in the renewal of a company with deep roots in New York and Pennsylvania. Consumers, political leaders, and grocery workers came together to produce an agreement that will benefit the entire community. The proposed sale would preserve thousands of good jobs and keep open dozens of stores in our neighborhoods. UFCW members have a long-standing relationship with Tops Market, and we look forward to serving as partners in this chapter of the company's growth."

Is Whole Foods Bad for the Planet?

Mother Jones asks the question in a fascinating new article, pointing out that even Walmart has a better track record on the environment than Whole Foods in ways that matter. An excerpt from the piece:

The company, which pulls in $4 billion a year, does try to promote itself as a firm that cares about the environment. Its official blog touts climate-related causes like rainforest preservation, waste reduction, and the awareness about carbon footprint of food. During my last visit to the store, I was urged to sign up to receive my shopping receipts via email, to save paper. But their focus is on what customers can do to reduce their impact—including in one post an admonition to "vote with your dollars" by shopping at local and at socially-conscious businesses.

The company ranked among the biggest purchasers of green power last year, but neither the company nor its CEO has advocated for environmental policies in line with the views held by their customer base.

Maybe progressives and folks who care about the environment need to rethink shopping at Whole Foods.

Whole Foods CEO Profile Reveals Disturbing Views on Unions, Climate

The New Yorker has an in-depth look at Whole Foods CEO John Mackey and his, er, wackiness. There's some choice stuff in there: did you know Mackey has compared unions to having a veneral disease? Yup, it's true. We can't include the quote here, since this is a family blog, but if you check out the article you'll find it there.

Another bit of information about Mackey: he's one of those climate change deniers. Which kind of makes you wonder about how environmentally conscious he really cares about being:

as he put it, “no scientific consensus exists” regarding the causes of climate change; he added, with a candor you could call bold or reckless, that it would be a pity to allow “hysteria about global warming” to cause us “to raise taxes and increase regulation, and in turn lower our standard of living and lead to an increase in poverty.” One would imagine that, on this score, many of his customers, to say nothing of most climate scientists, might disagree. He also said, “Historically, prosperity tends to correlate to warmer temperatures.”

Mackey also suggests that his company is not special or separate; that it's essentially similar to Kroger and Safeway. And as far as quality, that may be true. UFCW members know that Safeway's or Kroger's workers are every bit as dedicated as those at Whole Foods. But there's one big difference for workers: most Safeway and Kroger workers have a union, and Whole Foods workers? Well, they don't, thanks to Mackey's anti-union stance.