On August 10, Mom's Organic Market banned employees from wearing "face masks, face coverings, and face obstructions."
Customers were (rightly) outraged. Thanks to public pressure, MOM's is now starting to change course. But instead of needing a doctor's note, employees will now have to ask a manager or HR for permission to exercise their bodily autonomy.
If employees wear a mask without a manager or HR's approval, they can be written up and even fired.
How is this connected to union-busting? The Hampden (Baltimore) location is in the middle of contract negotiations, with the current contract expiring on September 12, 2026. Many Hampden employees mask all or part of the time at work, and some non-union stores aren't enforcing the Mask Ban. Mom's has almost 30 locations on the East Coast, but no stores have as many masked workers.
Click the link below, or keep scrolling for an email template.
Wear a mask to the store (ANY location) to show your support for MOM's workers who mask.
To: scott@momsorganicmarket.com
BCC: SupportMomsHampdenWorkers@proton.me
Subject: Scrap the Mask Ban Completely.
Scott:
I am a MOM’s customer, and I support your employees' right to wear masks and face coverings without ANY restrictions.
I was extremely disappointed to learn about your new Mask Ban. I also heard that now you're allowing managers and "Employee Experience" (HR) to decide whether your employees have a right to protect their health, their loved ones' health, their coworkers' health, and the health of customers who put money in your pockets.
If a manager thinks your employee is faking illness, does that mean they can deny the employee's right to mask? If a manager doesn't like an employee's religion, does that mean they can deny the employee's right to cover part of their face? If a manager just plain doesn't like an employee, does that mean they can deny the employee's right to protect themselves and others?
If you now claim to understand that masks help people, why would you still restrict them?
Is it for the same reason you pay union workers less and give them fewer holiday boosts: weakening their union? Or is it because your AI-assisted cameras use Facial Recognition Technology? So much for lifting others and protecting and restoring the environment.
Accept the things you cannot change and change the things you can. Start by repealing this ridiculous policy. And pay your union workers equally while you're at it.
Signed,
A MOM's Customer who supports your masked and union workers.
More About MOM's History of Union-Busting
MOM’s Organic Market is placing union workers at an intentional disadvantage. Despite powering the company's highest-earning store, workers at the Hampden (Baltimore) location receive lower weekend pay and fewer holiday pay increases than other stores.
MOM’s of Hampden was the first location to unionize in 2023, and today is one of only two locations with a collective bargaining agreement in place. In January 2025, 15 months after this contract was ratified, the company raised starting wages and weekend bonuses at non-union stores — higher than the wages secured in Hampden’s contract. The company has refused to rectify the wage disparity. Contract negotiations are now underway, with the current collective bargaining agreement expiring on September 12, 2026.
Until then, only public pressure from the community has the potential to sway the company to adopt fair standards for the workers at MOM’s of Hampden. These workers are part of the community, and they need the voice of the community to challenge MOM’s to live up to their stated core values.
Statements from former MOM's Hampden workers
MEDIA INQUIRIES: