Whole Foods to cut health care benefits for part-time workers

September 13, 2019 at 5:06 p.m. | Updated September 13, 2019 at 5:06 p.m.

by Associated Press

In this Aug. 8, 2018, photo shoppers enter a Whole Foods Market in Upper Saint Clair, Pa. Whole Foods, the grocery chain owned by Amazon, is cutting health care benefits for its part-time workers, a move that could leave about 1,900 of its employees without medical coverage. Starting next year, Whole Foods employees have to work at least 30 hours a week to qualify for its health care benefits, up from the 20 hours a week it currently requires. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
In this Aug. 8, 2018, photo shoppers enter a Whole Foods Market in Upper Saint Clair, Pa. Whole Foods, the grocery chain owned by Amazon, is cutting health care benefits for its part-time workers, a move that could leave about 1,900 of its employees without medical coverage. Starting next year, Whole Foods employees have to work at least 30 hours a week to qualify for its health care benefits, up from the 20 hours a week it currently requires. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

NEW YORK (AP) - Whole Foods, the grocery chain owned by Amazon, is cutting health care benefits for its part-time workers, a move that could leave about 1,900 of its employees without medical coverage.

Starting next year, Whole Foods employees have to work at least 30 hours a week to qualify for its health care benefits, up from the 20 hours a week it currently requires.

The grocer, which has about 95,000 workers, said it is making the change "to better meet the needs of" its business. Whole Foods said it is helping worker explore full-time jobs at its stores or find other ways to get health care coverage.

Online shopping giant Amazon.com Inc. bought Whole Foods two years ago for nearly $14 billion, cutting prices on some items and adding its smile logo in its aisles.

News of the benefits change was first reported by Business Insider.

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