Willy Street Grocery Co-op workers began organizing in 2019 after management implemented a new attendance policy that was harsher than that of Whole Foods (a corporate competitor in the natural-foods market). In addition, despite a 2017 promise that the Co-op would move towards paying a “livable wage” within two to three years, in 2019 the starting wage rate was cut from $12.40 to $12.10 per hour.