Whole Foods unionized.

• Position: On the Line

Madison, Wisconsin

On July 12 in Madison, Wisconsin, the first Whole Foods store was successfully unionized. By a vote of 65 to 54, employees opted for a union, affiliating with the United Food and Commercial Workers. Two days before the vote, John Mackey, the CEO and founder of Whole Foods, flew to Madison in a last-ditch effort to fend off the union drive. Mackey has likened unions to herpes.

The successful union drive "has national significance," says David Newby, head of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, adding that...