Whole Foods Cutting Medical Benefits To Part-Time Workers: Report

HINGHAM, MA — Part-time workers at Whole Foods supermarkets will no longer receive medical benefits as of Jan. 1, 2020, according to Business Insider. The national grocery store train, which is owned by Amazon, is cutting health care coverage options for employees who work at least 20 hours a week, Business Insider reported. Full time employees will not be affected.

The change will affect about about 1,900 employees, which is about 2 percent of the total workforce at its 483 stores across the country, the report said.

Locally, there are stores in Hingham and South Weymouth.

Whole Foods made the decision "to better meet the needs of our business and create a more equitable and efficient scheduling model" and will provide affected workers "with resources to find alternative healthcare coverage options" or to "explore full-time, healthcare eligible positions starting at 30 hours per week" with the chain.

Part-time workers are still going to receive some job perks – such as a 20% in-store discount, the report said.

Patch reporter Kimberly Redmond contributed to this report.