Whole Foods Lawfully Banned Black Lives Matter Apparel, Judge Rules

The ruling, which can be appealed, found that wearing BLM apparel was not a protected activity under labor law.

Whole Foods did not break the law by banning employees from wearing Black Lives Matter (BLM) apparel, according to a ruling by a National Labor Relations Board judge.
The judge ruled that wearing BLM apparel was not a protected activity under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act, as it was not directly related to the employees' working conditions.
The case was brought by 14 employees who claimed they were disciplined or fired for wearing BLM apparel, which Whole Foods said violated its dress code.
The judge did find that Whole Foods' uniform policy from 2013 to 2020 was unlawfully broad as it could prevent employees from wearing union insignia.
The ruling can be appealed to the labor board in Washington, D.C.