Supermarket Workers, Customers Join in 'Unprecedented' Uprising Against Corporate Greed
Published on Tuesday, August 05, 2014
by Common Dreams
Supermarket Workers, Customers Join in 'Unprecedented' Uprising Against Corporate Greed
As strikes enter third week, workers and customers of Market Basket demand reinstatement of beloved CEO "Artie T."
by Lauren McCauley, staff writer
A family-feud over a New England supermarket chain is emerging as one of the most compelling labor fights of the summer as well as, observers note, a cautionary tale to corporate America about the value of treating one's employees well.
On Tuesday, thousands of employees of the Market Basket supermarket chain—from cashiers to warehouse workers to top managers—rallied alongside supporters at shopping complex in Tewksbury, Massachusetts in the fourth major demonstration since former CEO Arthur T. Demoulas was fired by a board headed by his cousin Arthur S. Demoulas in June.
Under the direction of Arthur T., affectionately referred to as "Artie T," Market Basket was notorious in the region for providing good benefits and fair pay. Cashiers start at $12 an hour and the company shared their billions in profits with multiple yearly bonuses as well as scholarships for those workers enrolled in college.
In the three weeks since Artie T's ouster, warehouse workers have refused to make deliveries, leaving shelves nearly empty, while most of the 25,000 employees across the chain's 71 locations are on strike, many picketing outside the stores. In some locations, managers have advocated for customers to boycott, as well.
More:
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/08/05/supermarket-workers-customers-join-unprecedented-uprising-against-corporate-greed
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