Please vote on the HuffPost Whole Foods Boycott poll

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/18/the-whole-foods-health-ca_n_262471.html
I'm not normally a promoter of online polls, but HuffPO is fairly high profile and I think the WF management will see it. If you would vote and give the post a kick, I'd appreciate it

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currently:
Quick Poll
Will you boycott Whole Foods Over the CEO's political views?

I'm outraged and I'm not shopping there again. 58.33%

I disagree with his views but I don't think it's worthy of a boycott. 16.67%

Hey, it's a free country, he can say what he wants. I'm not make my shopping choices based on this. 25%

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Whole Foods CEO John Mackey's recent Wall Street Journal op-ed on health care which argues against President Obama's health reform proposals has caused a firestorm throughout progressive communities and on HuffPost.

Mackey wrote:

"The last thing our country needs is a massive new health care entitlement that will create hundreds of billions of dollars of new unfunded deficits and move us much closer to a government takeover of our health care system."

He instead suggested healthy food -- preferably purchased from Whole Foods -- as an answer to our health care woes:

The same owner recently said that WF "sells a lot of crap." I agree. Eating organic potato chips is just as bad a eating regular chips.

And, contrary to received opinion - there is absolutely no research that shows that eating organic foods is any better for you than eating the mega farm stuff: nutritionally, taste-wise, toxicity levels, what have you. In fact, organic farming is actually worse in many respects: it takes more land than mega farming, and many of the organic pesticides used are more toxic than the synthetic pesticides that have been developed over the years.

20% of organic produce now comes from China. The majority of what's left is grown by mega organic producers. You aren't helping the "local organic farmer" when you buy organic. Hell, it's almost impossible to tell where the stuff comes from.

I think organic is just another scam that's being foisted on a trusting but gullible public.

Then you know where it comes from

Find a farmer's market or local co-op and shop there

"I disagree with his views but don't think it's worthy of a boycott."

I shop at my local Whole Foods quite a bit and have become decent pals with some of the workers there. Most are generally progressive, good people and we see eye to eye on most political issues.

They recognize that their boss Mackey is a bit flaky sometimes, but all in all, they love working for his company. They get a vote -- yes, a VOTE -- on levels of benefits. They see their workplace as very democratic. True, their health insurance plan has a high deductible, but the company gives them extra money to pay down that deductible, and their out-of-pocket health costs are lower than just about anyone else I know.

Mackey also has foregone his salary, and capped management pay at 19 times that of the lowest-paid worker -- a ratio most companies haven't seen since the 1950s. Workers there also get generous stock options, and none of them are envious or resentful toward upper management. Whole Foods' donations to progressive organizations are too many to count, and all of their stores (in Texas, at least) operate on wind power.

Of course I don't agree with Mackey on health care policy, but at least he is putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to his employees. If all employers treated their employees like Mackey does, we would not have near as large a health crisis as we do today. When you look at that, combined with all the other progressive causes Whole Foods is dedicated to, I find it hard to justify a boycott based on one measley op-ed.

Haven't gone there since the op-ed came out.

I'm not boycotting but I am in favor of his idiotic statements getting lots of press. I hope the shareholders dump his ass as CEO.

94% of WFMI shares are held by institutional holders. Mackey himself owns another 2%. There is not a large enough shareholder base to organize such an ouster, unless the institutional investors are pissed off, which they definitely aren't after the stock's performance over the past several months.

that would seem to be the point...

used to be a wild oats and has retained many of the old staff. It pains me, but I seriously believe this guy needs to be dumped or at least have a very strong message sent. If he stays on this course, his employees are going to suffer, regardless.

I've talked to the ones here, and they still like the guy very much. They love their health coverage, which is immensely better than even most white-collar workers I know -- they seem to think that the whole company would lose its feel if Mackey were to be deposed.

Then again, that's here in Texas, where people have been hit less hard by the recession and even the "progressives" have some conservative tendencies. I'd be curious to know what Whole Foods workers in other parts of the country think.

far leftist gen xers... So, I feel certain they are not happy with him. The health insurance that I believe that they have is very very high deductable--mainly just catastrophic. Does it vary by store? :shrug:

I'm not sure if it varies by store, but you are correct -- the health insurance they have is high-deductible (about $2500 per year).

BUT, from what I understand:

(1) Whole Foods covers all of the premiums for workers working more than 30 hours a week (and unlike other retailers, most Whole Foods workers are full-time), and

(2) Whole Foods also gives each worker an $1800 "personal wellness" account, which is primarily used to pay those deductible expenses. So, generally speaking, it's not hard for Whole Foods workers to limit their out-of-pocket expenses to $700 per year.

Now, I don't know what kind of prescription drug coverage is offered, and I don't know how much of a premium or deductible you face for your family members, but this sounds like a pretty good deal to me. It's much better than my plan, and the insurance that most of my fellow white-collar workers have.

no eye coverage... So, in reality, their Out of pocket is way higher than $700 for most, even if they do just the minimal recommended preventive care procedures, wear glasses or contact lenses and have at least one prescription medication (not to mention, if they have a family). While they may feel lucky to have coverage at all, those who came from jobs with more extensive health coverage don't see it as an equitable trade off, but a loss.

I was just at the site and missed that! tyvm