For All Whole Foods Shoppers [Archive]

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flygal

10-16-2008, 03:57 PM

Alert of the Week:
National Call-In Day for Farmworker Rights!
Whole Foods: Can you Hear Us Now?

Despite a mobilization by thousands of organic consumers, Teamsters, and United Farm Workers, sending in petitions and handing out leaflets at Whole Foods Market stores in 33 states, WFM is refusing to stand up for workers rights! Oregon-based Beef Northwest, the feedlot corporation that fattens up Country Natural Beef's herds, refuses to negotiate with the United Farm Workers in good faith. Whole Foods in the single largest seller of Country Natural Beef in the U.S. Joining leading elected officials in Oregon, Presidential Candidate Senator Barack Obama, in a letter earlier this year urged Beef Northwest to sit down and negotiate a contract with the United Farm Workers. In the spirit of Cesar Chavez, please support the United Farmworkers Union drive at the Beef Northwest feedlots in Oregon and send a message to the world: eliminate labor exploitation in the organic and natural food sectors.

Call and fax (https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=V6j4v%2FrTav271S%2BYo2UE%2FisMQZ7bZuCz) Whole Foods' Corporate Headquarters and you local Whole Foods' General Manager.
Spread the word (https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ybk%2Fe%2BmeGOwCOpcS15XPkisMQZ7bZuCz) in your community and send a letter to the editor in support of sweatfree organic and natural food.
Send a letter to Whole Foods executives here (https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Ihu%2F9jseIeHIaSiwW%2BrUpCsMQZ7bZuCz).

typewriter

10-16-2008, 07:02 PM

elienos

10-18-2008, 06:58 AM

Unfortunately the only locally owned grocery store in my town, Petaluma Market, is too expensive for me and my income. Yes, everything cost more than "whole paycheck" at my locally owned market.

How am I a "priveledged consumer" as someone who shops at Whole Foods? Nice labeling job. I guess I can switch from shopping at Good Will to dumpster diving so I can support Petaluma Market.

When did citzen get relegated to "consumer" anyway? That is not my main function in life.

I would also like to add that though Whole Foods is the bigest seller of Country Natural Beef, Counrty Natural Beef's cows only account for 15% of Beef Northwests cows. If you are wondering how the beef industry works, cows are sent for the last 3 months of their lives to a feedlot (in this case beef northwest) to be fattened up on grain and potatoes and stuff. While I agree Whole Foods should take action, we can also deduct that UFW targeted WF because of it's published "values" and popularity among people who care. We aren't all just priveledged consumers. I also shop at Trader Joe's and garden, I can't afford to only shop at Whole Foods, like most of it's customers. I just want what's best for my family and my but can't always afford it.

That being said, buying local is great, but sometimes it burns my hide to think about how certain local businesses that everyone is always trying to protect pay minimum wage. Minimum wage is not enough to live on in California. But then they are propbably paying minimum wage because the rents are twice as hgh as they should be.

<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CADMINI%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceType"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceName"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><style>  </style> Thanks for posting this. I would like to point out that Whole Foods has been notorious for its union-busting practices, to the point that CEO John Mackey openly gloats about it. (Not to mention his other documented hobbies, such as assuming false internet identities to drive down the stock of competitors...yeah a real winner that one.)

By continually supporting Whole Foods privileged consumers are empowering the corporation to actively (illegally) undermine UFW rights, which is only a single example of Whole Foods' consistent inhumane practices. By creating a monopoly the Whole Foods Corporation in turn ruthlessly dictates what human cost its profit margin assumes. This monopoly is fueled by and dependent on consumers who rationalize their actions in favor of actually making conscious choices.

This is a fundamental example of the crucial importance to support locally owned/operated businesses. In <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Sonoma</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">County</st1:placetype></st1:place> we're fortunate to have such an abundance of locally available produce, meats, dairy with no shortage of local markets to support. There is nothing Whole Foods offers that the local economy can't --except billions of dollars spent to target disempowered consumers.
<o:p> </o:p>

typewriter

10-18-2008, 12:37 PM

Respectfully, I'm not going to get into a discussion of privilege via the internet.

Unfortunately the only locally owned grocery store in my town, Petaluma Market, is too expensive for me and my income. Yes, everything cost more than "whole paycheck" at my locally owned market.

How am I a "priveledged consumer" as someone who shops at Whole Foods? Nice labeling job. I guess I can switch from shopping at Good Will to dumpster diving so I can support Petaluma Market.

When did citzen get relegated to "consumer" anyway? That is not my main function in life.

I would also like to add that though Whole Foods is the bigest seller of Country Natural Beef, Counrty Natural Beef's cows only account for 15% of Beef Northwests cows. If you are wondering how the beef industry works, cows are sent for the last 3 months of their lives to a feedlot (in this case beef northwest) to be fattened up on grain and potatoes and stuff. While I agree Whole Foods should take action, we can also deduct that UFW targeted WF because of it's published "values" and popularity among people who care. We aren't all just priveledged consumers. I also shop at Trader Joe's and garden, I can't afford to only shop at Whole Foods, like most of it's customers. I just want what's best for my family and my but can't always afford it.

That being said, buying local is great, but sometimes it burns my hide to think about how certain local businesses that everyone is always trying to protect pay minimum wage. Minimum wage is not enough to live on in California. But then they are propbably paying minimum wage because the rents are twice as hgh as they should be.

MsTerry

10-18-2008, 09:39 PM

How about not eating meat?
If the cows were unionized, there would be a great shortage of exploited animal-meat......................

Alert of the Week:
National Call-In Day for Farmworker Rights!
Whole Foods: Can you Hear Us Now?

Despite a mobilization by thousands of organic consumers, Teamsters, and United Farm Workers, sending in petitions and handing out leaflets at Whole Foods Market stores in 33 states, WFM is refusing to stand up for workers rights! Oregon-based Beef Northwest, the feedlot corporation that fattens up Country Natural Beef's herds, refuses to negotiate with the United Farm Workers in good faith. Whole Foods in the single largest seller of Country Natural Beef in the U.S. Joining leading elected officials in Oregon, Presidential Candidate Senator Barack Obama, in a letter earlier this year urged Beef Northwest to sit down and negotiate a contract with the United Farm Workers. In the spirit of Cesar Chavez, please support the United Farmworkers Union drive at the Beef Northwest feedlots in Oregon and send a message to the world: eliminate labor exploitation in the organic and natural food sectors.
Call and fax (https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=V6j4v%2FrTav271S%2BYo2UE%2FisMQZ7bZuCz) Whole Foods' Corporate Headquarters and you local Whole Foods' General Manager.
Spread the word (https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ybk%2Fe%2BmeGOwCOpcS15XPkisMQZ7bZuCz) in your community and send a letter to the editor in support of sweatfree organic and natural food.
Send a letter to Whole Foods executives here (https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Ihu%2F9jseIeHIaSiwW%2BrUpCsMQZ7bZuCz).

wulfworks

10-20-2008, 10:49 AM

Who really needs beef? Nobody. Cattle are responsible for about 18% of the carbon emissions that are said to cause global warming. If we don't buy beef and dairy products, Whole Foods won't sell them!

How about not eating meat?
If the cows were unionized, there would be a great shortage of exploited animal-meat......................