Whole Foods Has Health Care Hole
Whole Foods is known for environmental sustainability, organic farming, food and nutritional labeling, and ethical treatment of animals. Its CEO John Mackey is paid a salary of $1 per year. Not to be too stereotypical, but that sounds like a company primed to support universal health care. Its loyal, liberal customers thought so, too.
According to the Washington Post, these customers were stunned by a recent op-ed piece written by Mackey in the Wall Street Journal, arguing for a health care plan that falls far short of the proposed Obama plan. Just to really stir the pot, Mackey also said he doesn’t believe that health care is an intrinsic right.
So, he doesn’t agree with Dr. Clifton, author of Flatlined, covered in a post I did yesterday. He also proves that if you’re just itching to start a fight, bring up religion, politics and now health care reform.
The company says Mackey was expressing his own beliefs, not the company’s. Customers are congregating online, threatening a boycott.
A CEO should be able to express his own beliefs on a subject, but it’s naive to think they won’t have an impact on the company. As I’ve said before, I think reasonable Americans should be able to institute needed health care reform, but that’s looking pretty naive, too. The Whole Foods skirmish demonstrates how much of a battleground health care reform has become. It’s not for the faint of heart or the food snobs who equate what one eats with morality.
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About Chris Parker
Chris Parker's practice focuses on the representation and counseling of companies in matters pertaining to the workplace and the protection of their intellectual property and trade secrets. In addition to serving as an advocate for clients, Mr. Parker is also trained as a mediator and frequently serves as a third-party neutral.
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While serving in an Of Counsel relationship with the firm, Mr. Bridgesmith also serves as the Executive Director at the Institute for Conflict Resolution at Lipscomb University and as an officer and principal in Strategic Resolutions Group, LLC. In these roles, Mr. Bridgesmith brings over 30 years of legal experience in dispute resolution and innovative workplace strategies to clients, students and business entities alike.
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He gained a customer in me. As someone noted to me, the double standards continue to pile up in this debate. . .Pelosi loves rabble rousers EXCEPT when they show up at health care forums. Reid struggles to call the worst regimes in the world evil but has no problem labeling as “evil” those who protest the direction of health care reform.
When the Dixie Chicks trashed George Bush, it was freedom of expression and boycotts of their music were closed-minded. But the planned boycotts of Whole Foods are fine.
I just want to understand the rules.
Thanks for posting, John.
Thanks for your comment, CO. I always respect your opinion. Consistency is hard to come by, particularly from our political leaders.