Whole Foods workers are suing the American supermarket for punishing them for wearing Black Lives Matter masks.
The federal lawsuit says the company discriminated against black staff by selectively enforcing its dress code.
Whole Foods, owned by tech giant Amazon, prohibits staff from wearing clothing with messages that are not related to the company.
He denied firing a worker over the issue, but did not comment on the legal action.
“While we cannot comment on pending litigation, it is critical to clarify that no team member has been fired for wearing Black Lives Matter masks or clothing,” the company said in a statement.
The lawsuit says more than 40 Whole Foods employees in locations across the country have been punished for wearing the Black Lives Matter masks, which became popular amid protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of police.
Staff who wear clothing with other messages, such as LGBTQ pins or sports equipment clothing, have not faced such discipline in the past, the lawsuit says.
‘Repeated violations
“Whole Foods’ selective application of its dress code to discipline employees who wear clothes that express their support for the Black Lives Matter movement constitutes unlawful discrimination,” the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit asks the court to remove the Whole Foods policy and prohibit the company from taking additional measures or retaliating against the workers. He also looks for late payment for workers sent home for wearing the masks,
The lawsuit was filed by 14 employees as a class action on behalf of the entire Whole Foods staff. One of the workers says she was fired for organizing the use of masks and leading protests against the company’s response.
In a statement, Whole Foods denied that claim, saying the employee, Savannah Kinzer, had been fired for “repeatedly violating our time and attendance policy by not working her assigned shifts, reporting late for work multiple times in the past nine days. and choose to leave during their scheduled shifts.
“It is simply not true that you have been separated from the company for wearing a Black Lives Matter face mask. As an employer we must uphold our policies fairly and consistently. Savannah had a full understanding of our policies and was given several opportunities to comply.” said the firm.
‘Muzzle’
Shannon Liss-Riordan, the attorney representing the workers, said the firm was “falsely attacking” Ms. Kinzer.
“His decision to retaliate against employees who expressed their support for this racial justice movement was bad enough, but his efforts to belittle an incredible activist and leader are beyond limits,” he said. “We hope to present our argument in federal court.”
She told the BBC that the workers who filed the lawsuit were partly angered by the apparent hypocrisy, after Amazon and Whole Foods voiced their public support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Many companies today are doing their best to profess how progressive they are … but when it really comes down to letting their employees express these same feelings, they are speechless,” he said.
The lawsuit is the latest showdown between Amazon and its workers.
The company has faced repeated calls to do more to protect its supermarket and warehouse workers during the pandemic, and has been accused of retaliating against staff speaking about the company’s environmental policies and coronavirus protections.
Earlier this year, an engineer resigned, citing layoffs as evidence of a “streak of toxicity running through the company’s culture.”
