On my way to work this morning there were still ~8 people with signs and cars blasting their horns as I went by. This was the Hudson NH store. Parking lot was still pretty empty.

Has anyone been inside any of the area stores recently? Curious if the shelves are really bare.

Perishable departments are empty, frozen is full and canned goods are somewhat stocked. Word is now the perishable warehouse is shut down due to bad food inside.

....signs of increased food buying shows up locally at the Hannaford-Meredith when all the large $1.59 cans of Hannaford brand sliced peaches are out of stock. No way will I pay 2.29 for the Delmonte brand in the next slot on the shelf .....it's 1.59 peaches or nothing. omg.....all out of canned peaches ..... someone please call the peach police?

The peach police should be called on you for buying canned when fresh is available.

Just a thought...
 

FLL needs to buy canned...we certainly don't want sharp instruments in his hands while he attempts to cut up fresh:laugh:;).

I never claimed he did. I was just throwing Seaplane a bone from his previous post. Looks like Ayn Rand probably made that statement but it sounds much better coming from TJ.:D

Hmm - I look at it this way

Delmonte - Union Shop
Delhaize (produces Hanniford "My Essentials" brand) Non Union.

Just remember by not buying Delmonte you are supporting "corporate greed" and "poor treatment" of the non-union workers.

Thanks for the info...for me it will be "My Essentials".

Right there with ya!

Are you saying that unioned businesses are all good and non-union businesses are 'corporate greedy' and 'poor treaters' of employees?

Not me... I think unions have long outlived their usefulness and are a menace from their political leanings.

The United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 400 President Tom McNutt issued the following statement Jan. 13 in response to Delhaize America’s decision to close 126 Bloom, Food Lion and Bottom Dollar stores across the country, including the remaining Bloom in Ashburn and one of the two Blooms in Leesburg:

“First, let me offer my deepest sympathies to the workers who are losing their jobs as a result of these closings. They have been ill-served by global corporate greed, perpetrated in their case by a multinational conglomerate that treats its workers well in Europe but denies American workers their right to union representation, to earn a living wage, and to job security.

Second, I believe this massive wave of closings demonstrates the failure of Delhaize’s low-road approach to doing business in America. Corporate executives in Brussels viewed the U.S. as if it was a Third World country — as a place where they could make a quick buck by driving their labor costs down to the lowest possible level. What they discovered was what they already knew in Europe — that a fairly compensated, fully-empowered, well-treated workforce provides the stability, productivity and quality service that are essential to long-term success in the retail grocery industry."

Now I think it's time to get back to our regularly scheduled programming as this is going WAY off topic.

I don't think this is going to stop any time soon - just read somewhere that MB is holding a 3-day job fair for all positions next week. Just me speculating but it sounds like they are going to fire those boycotting and fill the positions with people who need the job?

However - this won't change the public's perception of the entire ordeal. Perhaps make it worse?

It'll be interesting to hear what the grounds for firing are. If you walked off the job, fine. If not...that's where it starts to get sticky. Sounds like at least some workers are picketing on their own time:

http://www.wmur.com/money/market-bas...212662#!breQ3J

The statement from the board (yesterday?) said they were considering several offers in addition to ATD's, yet blamed things on ATD, so I interpreted that as a "when hell freezes over" volley.

http://www.wbur.org/2014/07/29/market-basket-scenarios

I'm sure a lawyer could argue that what these employees are doing is hurting the company.

And....in NH I believe each employee is considered at-will and therefore can be terminated with no reason whatsoever.

I'm still stunned that it has lasted this long.

Where is jmen24 who started this thread?

Certainly he must have some information to share with us.

So I would agree that any employee who is encouraging shoppers to go elsewhere, or not showing up for work would be grounds for termination. Picketing the firing of the CEO? Not so sure about that one, to me that's their constitutional right of free speech.

You are right, it is an at will state.

That's interesting - I sat on a jury hearing a case in for wrongful termination in NH. So I'm confused. The plaintiff was an hourly worker and was not employed via any kind of employment contract.

It doesn't mean they still can't take their employer to court or file a complaint with the labor board. That's why I think "at will" is a big joke.

Quite Correct
 

You are 100% correct Tis. While NH is an "at will" state, as a business owner you better have your ducks in a row if you plan on terminating someone, including records of verbal and multiple written warnings prior to termination.

The employer is almost always at the losing end of a wrongful termination suit if the company does not follow proper protocol.

Dan

And in the case I sat on the plaintiff won some restitution. What I found fascinating with the case was the plaintiff was documented by the employer and formally warned by the employer about illegal activity the employee was engaged in at the work place numerous times - yet still the majority of the jury insisted that the plaintiff was targeted, harassed and then terminated. In the end the compromise the jury came to was not to find the employer guilty of wrongful termination, but still the plaintiff was awarded an undisclosed sum of money.

Market Basket board tells employees to get back to work


Read more: http://www.wmur.com/money/market-bas...#ixzz38znE7NLC

Just one more reason why it is so discouraging to be in business today. I predict that if things continue no one will want to run a business in the future.

It's tough to work when you have no customers.....

An article in Foster's this morning...
 

Talked about the workers in the Rochester MB were painting, cleaning, and generally sprucing up the store when they had no customers to wait on. Pretty decent kids...and most of them are just that.

I read where MB is holding a customer fair, to replace all the lost customers.

According to the ad in the Boston Globe, the open house for job applications on Monday, is for current employees only, Wednesday is for anyone else.
If they are doing what I've seen other companies do in the past, they will offer them their jobs back at a lower pay rate, and less bennies.
This is only going to make things worse than they are with the current employees.
Keep boycotting ART $.'s MB, wait for for Art T. to get it back.

Love MB
 

And love it when the every day, regular folks stand up to the Greedy Corporate World we seen to live in. :)

The constitutional right of free speech means that the government can't punish you for saying something. There is no constitutional right of free speech in the employer-employee relationship. Any business would be perfectly within its rights to fire any employee that picketed the firing of the CEO, absent an employment contract that states otherwise.

I get a chuckle every time a hear about an employee that mouths off to his or her boss, gets fired (duh!), and then claims a constitutional violation of their free speech rights.

Workers keep strong!
 

Evidently MB has taken out front page ad in Boston Globe advertising work fairs next week. And, a labor-lawyer has provided how the law is viewed:

But workers News 9 has spoken with during the protests said they have been rallying during their off-hours and working their shifts. Some have said they're worried about getting fired.

Labor and employment lawyer James Reidy, of Sheehan, Phinney, Bass and Green, said that as long as employees keep fighting for better working conditions for the company as a whole, their actions are protected under the National Labor Relations Act, despite the fact the workers are not unionized.

I certainly understand the law and appreciate what the employees want however has it ever been determined that their working conditions deteriorated since Artie T. was replaced or are they believing that they will in the future? If this is the case then how would they be protected by the NLRB based on future concerns with no real differences at this time.

Now both Mass. and NH AGs are weighing in.
 

Say they do decide to fire...oh let's say 15000 of the workers.
that a LOT of money to have to pay out in one to three days!
http://www.scribd.com/doc/235571747/...orneys-General

Maybe I'm cynical but why do the politicians feel the need to send this letter? Do the AGs think Market Basket is unaware of state law? Having lived in Mass. For many years this feels like part of Coakley's campaign.

I have to agree there.
I thought it was unusual that they both sent the letter together?
Sort of makes it invalid in some way.

You'll be surprised about how many "scabs" are waiting in the wings to take your job when something like this happens.

Remember Simplex Wire in Newington NH, 1977?

The company is still running and doing very well.

Help me understand
 

I'm having trouble getting my head around this...

1. MB isn't a union shop. I've always understood the term scab to be a reference to non-union employees in a union shop.

2. According to the news the employees are protesting during their off time so they should have no reason to worry about being fired, especially since MB issued a note saying they could come back Monday with no fear of retribution.

3. Have any benefits actually been cut or changed in any way? The media leaves me with the impression that the answer is no.

I'm not trying to take a position on the issue. I just wonder how it got to the point where employees are protesting, customers are forced to shop elsewhere and both politicians and MB are using the media to reiterate laws and advertise job fairs.

I couldn't think of a better word to use for the person who might take the place of a fired MB employee. :D

Do you have one?

I'm still not following
 

I don't because I'm still not sure what's really happening. I've seen a lot of news footage of empty shelves, protesting employees and trucks being turned away from loading docks. If the MB employees care so much about the MB family, doesn't that include customers? And the health of the company itself?

All this makes me wonder how a profitable company with such loyal employees and great benefits can bring itself to the position they're in.

It's a little early for that....
 

It's a little early for that....as they are still playing chicken. Who will blink 1st? I bet the workers pockets are not as deep as the companies....and something as simple as the company saying they will keep the status quo in all ways with customers and emplyees ends the dispute. You can want your CEO back all you want, but you can only hope to influence that decision, not force it.

But what would I call your 'scabs'? A couple possibilities.....

1. Unemployed - someone who needs a job and who will take one in a heartbeat.

2. Ambitous - someone who sees an opportunity to advance their position and sees a great chance to do so.

3. Capitalists - if you can make more money there than you make currently then you take the job.

Nothing wrong with any of the above in my opinion.....if customers differ they dont come back and the company folds - the market will correct itself and we will see who was right.....I am thinking of becoming a 'scab' customer, I am ready to go back and the stores are not empty of anything save produce by me.

Realistically it won't come to that. 5000-15000 employees will not walk away in this economy, and the company cannot hope to hire and train that many replacements. Someone will blink....