Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and 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. According to Salon, said one employee said:
“I am in shock. I’ve worked here 15 years. This is why I keep the job — because of my benefits.”1
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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,”1 according to Business Insider.
The decision provoked outrage and disgust on Twitter. Senator Bernie Sanders called Bezos out for his greed.
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.
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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.”1
Many were not surprised by Bezos, noting that after he acquired The Washington Post in 2014, he cut retirement benefits.
