Market Basket : A labor story in the making

[forreals]

Has anyone heard about or been following what has been going on with Market Basket? I'm sure all the folks here in the NE know all about it.
Market Basket is a growing chain of supermarkets. The former CEO, Arthur T., has been fired in a takeover designed to put less money in the hands of the employees and more in the hands of the corporation. Market Basket is known as having the best prices around, though there is of course some debate over that. Word is that Arthur T. has been instrumental in keeping prices low.
The workers (non-union, I believe) have banded together, are protesting, not stocking shelves, etc.. Public support is very high for the workers. I couldn't believe how many honking horns and cheers for the protesters I saw while sitting at a Market Basket intersection this weekend. 


cognoscenti.wbur.org/2014/07/23/labor-market-basket-thomas-kochan?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=140723

In Market Basket Protests, Three Lessons For Corporate America

Wed, Jul 23, 2014

by Thomas Kochan 64



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Thomas Kochan: "This type of broad-based, collective action is unprecedented in modern U.S. labor history." Pictured: Employees of the Market Basket in Somerville, Mass., protest on Somerville Avenue. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)



We have a lot to learn from the extraordinary scenes of worker protest that have played out in recent days. Last Friday in Tewksbury, Mass., warehouse, clerical and managerial employees of the Market Basket supermarket chain banded together to protest the firing of their CEO, Arthur T. Demoulas, and to register their outrage at a shift in corporate strategy that would benefit owners at the expense of a loyal workforce and the company they helped build. They did it again on Monday after the company, on Sunday, fired eight employees who had skipped work to attend another rally. The protests continue.



This type of broad-based, collective action is unprecedented in modern U.S. labor history. From it, we can glean three lessons.



…these employees are taking on the horde of Wall Street analysts who criticize companies that choose to pay employees well and build a loyal customer base rather than just maximize shareholder returns.

First, it demonstrates the growing frustration building among workers at all levels with short-term, self-interested owners and corporate executives who choose to line their own pockets at the expense of the workforce and their customers. In doing so, these employees are taking on the horde of Wall Street analysts who criticize companies that choose to pay employees well and build a loyal customer base rather than just maximize shareholder returns. For years, Wall Street analysts criticized Costco and Southwest Airlines for following similar strategies, urging them to behave more like competitors such as Walmart or other airlines. Yet these companies showed consistently, over many years, that they could provide good jobs, products and services, and good profits and long-term shareholder returns by treating all stakeholders fairly and with the respect they deserve. So the first lesson: Corporate America better wake up and start listening to their employees  , or they may find themselves listening to them through bullhorns and in the national press.



Second, the protests reveal just how out of date, irrelevant and inadequate America’s labor laws have become. Why should hourly workers be “protected” from retaliation for speaking out, as stipulated in the National Labor Relations Act (enacted by Congress in 1935), while salaried workers receive no such protections and are, as such, vulnerable to firing for taking the same actions. Indeed, why doesn’t our labor law provide avenues for this broad coalition of workers to gain a voice in corporate governance without having to resort to last ditch public protests? By investing their skills, employees put their human capital at risk, just as the owners invest and put their financial capital at risk. It is time to treat both risk takers equally and provide workers a voice in the key decisions that will determine their collective future.



…the protests reveal just how out of date, irrelevant and inadequate America’s labor laws have become.

Third, Market Basket workers are sending a message to business schools across America that it is time to teach the next generation of managers how to lead companies in ways that better balance and integrate the interests of all stakeholders — owners and executives, middle managers who might someday lead the organization, front line employees who are the face of the company to customers, and customers and communities that support the business. There is ample research and practical evidence showing which finance, operations, human resources and labor relations strategies and practices are needed to manage a company successfully in this way. It is time to embed these principles in MBA courses and make them standard features in the toolkits for the next generation of managers, financial analysts and CEOS.



So, thank you, courageous Market Basket employees, for showing us all what needs to be done.

[forreals]

[katfco]

I've had lots of friends and family who are still in the area posting about it. I think it's great that there's so much support for the employees.

[rosebud]

I don't cross picket lines, so I haven't been in a store for well over a week. My Shaws run this morning was hectic...so many people were there that don't normally shop there...

[LoveTrains]

There are a few threads on the Boston board about this. I sincerely hope that the board accepts Artie T's offer to buy the company, but considering that the family feud runs deep, I am not sure if they will.

[forreals]

Jul 27, 2014 19:14:35 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

There are a few threads on the Boston board about this. I sincerely hope that the board accepts Artie T's offer to buy the company, but considering that the family feud runs deep, I am not sure if they will.

Somehow I never noticed that there is a Boston board!

[LoveTrains]

Jul 27, 2014 19:18:15 GMT -5 forreals said:

Jul 27, 2014 19:14:35 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

There are a few threads on the Boston board about this. I sincerely hope that the board accepts Artie T's offer to buy the company, but considering that the family feud runs deep, I am not sure if they will.

Somehow I never noticed that there is a Boston board!

It's underneath communities. If you are local come say hello! And if you aren't local, feel free to come and join in the MB love. We do GTGs, too!

[beeks]

I have been shopping at Shaw's and Hannaford's…but it will cost me an extra $100 a month. I hope they reinstate ATD soon!

[tres3]

Jul 27, 2014 19:14:35 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

There are a few threads on the Boston board about this. I sincerely hope that the board accepts Artie T's offer to buy the company, but considering that the family feud runs deep, I am not sure if they will.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeMoulas_Market_Basket

One of the nastiest family feuds ever.... They wasted so much money on lawyers.

[tres3]

Jul 27, 2014 19:14:35 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

There are a few threads on the Boston board about this. I sincerely hope that the board accepts Artie T's offer to buy the company, but considering that the family feud runs deep, I am not sure if they will.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeMoulas_Market_Basket

One of the nastiest family feuds ever.... They wasted so much money on lawyers.

[matildasun]

Thanks for posting this. I am from the Boston area originally, so random bits of info showed up on Facebook, and I was interested in the backstory, but forgot to pursue it.

[noodleoo]

Jul 27, 2014 19:34:46 GMT -5 beeks said:

I have been shopping at Shaw's and Hannaford's…but it will cost me an extra $100 a month. I hope they reinstate ATD soon!

Me too! It is so depressing.  I'm so hoping we hear on Monday that they will sell to Arthur T.  I really want things to go back to normal. 

[cinnamoncox]

The stop and shops around market basket areas are insane right now. Luckily my local Shaws hasn't gotten crazy, but if this goes on longer it will.

It's been a feud for like 80+ years or some such thing. It is all I see, all I hear.

Yet some people post on Facebook they were able to get a shopping order done at some of them, but others are posting empty shelves.

Honestly, there are a few around me, one is about five miles one is a bit further and I have tried many times to shop there because I hear of all the low prices, but I just can't. The stores are either nasty (I skidded on a green pepper once at the front of the store, not even near the veggies, I had to leave one one time because I literally couldn't get down the aisles because there were at least four stockers with full pallets all singing and dancing around, I couldn't get my shopping cart down any of the aisles).

So I don't miss it. But I feel terribly for the people who depend on the prices to feed their family. I'm lucky enough I don't have to put up with it, but I can imagine that someone's $100 that used to feed their family for a week from MB is now likely five days of food from another store.

What an absolute mess.
I think it's noble of the employees but how long can they go without a paycheck?

[krisandgrace]

Jul 27, 2014 19:34:46 GMT -5 beeks said:

I have been shopping at Shaw's and Hannaford's…but it will cost me an extra $100 a month. I hope they reinstate ATD soon!

I was at Hannaford's this weekend. They were having trouble keeping the shelves stocked, it was crazy. I think people have been pretty supportive here and have not been going to Market Basket.

[jillboston]

I love what the workers and customers have done here. It is amazing to see what people can do when they work together. And I do hope that the idiot cousin in charge now (Artie S.) comes to his senses soon and takes the offer on the table from Artie T. for the buyout.

[PinkSquirrel]

This has been really amazing to watch.

I don't see a way out of this without Artie T. involved even if they sell to another chain. I really hope they just sell it to Artie T. and end the feuding.

Artie S has gone and pissed off the entire northeast, even non MB shoppers are annoyed because their grocery stores are overrun with MB shoppers. Is there anyone who doesn't hate him and want to see whatever business he's running fail at this point?

[Ratonhnhaké:ton]

I live in the Southeastern area of New Hampshire. My boyfriend and I prefer shopping at MB because of how much cheaper it is. We stopped at the one near our house and I have never seen it so empty. Unfortunately we have no choice in the matter of shopping there during this time. We ended up having to continue the rest of our shopping at a local Wal-Mart for our meat and produce.

I hope this all gets resolved soon or else they may be forced to go out of business.

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[forreals]

m.youtube.com/watch?v=hi9_k-AEfEE&sns=fb

I wish I knew how to imbed this on my phone. It is the super secret project song about the situation. There were several LOL lines.


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