Photo: Mark Kauzlarich/Bloomberg via Getty Images

It’s been two years since Amazon acquired Whole Foods, putting a corporate banner over a mission-based company. In that time, there’s been very little in the way of good news for employees, and with reports that Amazon will no longer pay for health-care benefits for about 1,900 of its employees, the downward trend continues.

Business Insider reports that starting on January 1, 2020, employees will have to work a minimum of 30 hours per week to qualify for health-insurance coverage. Previously, that number was 20 hours per week. In a statement to BI, a company spokesperson said the change was made “to better meet the needs of our business and create a more equitable and efficient scheduling model.”

As for the affected employees, they will be provided “with resources to find alternative healthcare coverage options, or to explore full-time, healthcare-eligible positions starting at 30 hours per week,” the representative added.

Employees are understandably worried about the change, with one person telling BI that she is “in shock” and had spent the last 15 years working at the grocery store because they provided health benefits.

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