Source: Flickr / Steve Jurvetson
Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest man, is cutting health benefits for part-time workers at Whole Foods. The move will leave 1,900 people without health insurance.
The cuts don’t affect full-time employees, but will hurt those who work around 20 hours a week.
“I am in shock,” said one employee, according to Salon. “I’ve worked here 15 years. This is why I keep the job — because of my benefits.”
The Bezos-owned company said it was cutting benefits “to better meet the needs of our business and create a more equitable and efficient scheduling model,” according to Business Insider.
The decision provoked outrage and disgust on Twitter. Senator Bernie Sanders called Bezos out for his greed.
Jeff Bezos is worth over $110 billion. Amazon pays $0 in federal income taxes. Yet Bezos just cut health care for 2,000 part-time Whole Food workers.
That is what unfettered greed looks like.
We're going to make the wealthy pay their fair share and guarantee health care to all.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) September 14, 2019
Even after his divorce, Bezos is worth $114 billion. So he could give each of those 1,900 workers $500,000 dollars — and still have $113 billion.
Senator Elizabeth Warren on Twitter pointed out that Bezos had recently joined other companies in a pledge to invest in employees. She said: “Jeff Bezos committed to providing his employees ‘important benefits’—right before Whole Foods cut health care benefits for hundreds of employees.”
Few expressed surprise at Bezos, noting that in 2014, after he acquired The Washington Post, he cut retirement benefits.
