Jan 27 (Reuters) - A majority of workers at a flagship

Whole Foods store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania voted to

unionize on Monday, becoming the first in the Amazon ( AMZN )-owned

grocery chain to snatch a labor victory.

Workers voted 130-100 for union representation at the Center

City in Philadelphia, representing about 57% of the total votes

cast, according to the National Labor Relations Board.

Workers at the store had filed to hold a union election in

November 2024, the first since Amazon ( AMZN ) acquired the

business for $13.7 billion in 2017.

"We are ready to bring Whole Foods to the bargaining table

to negotiate a fair first contract that reflects the workers'

needs and priorities," Wendell Young IV, President of the United

Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776, which is a local chapter

of the union, said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

Whole Foods said it was disappointed by the outcome of this

vote, saying they "offer competitive compensation, great

benefits, and career advancement opportunities".

"We are committed to maintaining a positive working

environment in our Philly Center City store", a spokesperson for

the company said in an emailed statement.

(Reporting by Chandni Shah and Siddharth Cavale in Bengaluru;

Additional reporting by Gursimran Kaur in Bengaluru; Editing by

Mrigank Dhaniwala)