Never once did Elizabeth Warren show up to speak up for these Market Basket Workers. (26,000 workers in her home state)
She was beseeched to please come to a Market Basket Rally for month after month after month after month, etc!
She never showed up.
Missing inaction
Market Basket Workers are paid better then union wages and management Led by
Arthur T. Demoulas had workers complete thanks and support!
No democrat in Massachusetts stood up for these workers.
The democratic party you think exist down in the lower 48 does not!
If you are not union do not expect political support no matter what!
en.wikipedia.org
Protests[ edit]
Chelsea Market Basket store
In response to Demoulas's firing, six high-level managers resigned, and 300 employees held a rally outside Market Basket's Chelsea, Massachusetts flagship store on June 24. [14] The protesters criticized the Market Basket board for putting money before people by choosing to pay its shareholders more instead of reinvesting in the business. [4] Many employees also feared that the new leadership would cut benefits, wages, profit-sharing, and bonuses and raise prices. [15] [16] Employees also speculated that the removal of Arthur T. Demoulas was the first step in the process of selling the company. [17] Most employees did not go on strike, but rather participated in the protests on their own time, including during breaks. [18]
Shortly after Demoulas's dismissal, the Board of Directors signaled that it was willing to replace the management at Indian Ridge Country Club, a golf club owned by the company. This led to a protest by employees of Indian Ridge Country Club and Market Basket. On June 26, a member of the company's board of directors who was loyal to Arthur S. Demoulas, accompanied by a police detail, went to the club to fire its management, who were loyal to Arthur T. Demoulas. Later that day, Gooch and Thornton released a statement announcing that they intended to keep the club's management. [15]
On July 16, employees at Market Basket's headquarters in Tewksbury delivered an ultimatum to Gooch and Thornton. They demanded that the Board of Directors reinstate Arthur T. Demoulas as CEO by 4:30 pm the following day. [17] Gooch and Thornton responded the following day by announcing in a letter to employees that the board would meet by phone on July 21 to address their demands. They also warned that any employee who walked out would be fired. A message on the Save Market Basket Facebook page said that the employees at Market Basket headquarters would not be reporting to work the next day (July 18). [19] On July 18, protests with between 2,500 and 3,000 employees and customers were held at the company's Tewksbury headquarters and other locations demanding the reinstatement of Arthur T. [20] [21] 300 warehouse workers and 68 drivers refused to make deliveries, which left store shelves severely depleted. [22] [23] [24] Customers chose not to shop at Market Basket due to the lack of product or as a form of protest. [22] Stores that usually had over 100 customers in them at one time now had only a few. Most employees did not strike, thus the stores remained fully staffed but employees had little or nothing to do. Many of them joined the protesters outside or performed acts of protest inside the store, such as writing "Boycott Market Basket" on the window, placing signs encouraging customers to not shop there, leaving frozen dairy products out to spoil, or refusing to stock shelves. [18]
On July 20, eight employees were fired for their roles in organizing the protests. The next day, an estimated 5,000 people rallied outside the Market Basket store in Tewksbury. Leaders of the movement said that the protests must now head to the stores. Employees, as well as state politicians, began to call for a boycott of Market Basket stores. By mid-week, Market Basket's sales had fallen about 70%. That night, Arthur T. Demoulas issued his first statement since his firing, calling for the reinstatement of the fired employees. The protests included both management and rank-and-file employees, all of whom are non-union. [16] [25] On July 22, protests were held at all 71 of Market Basket's stores. [26]
On July 30, it was reported that managers and assistant managers from 68 of Market Basket's 71 stores prepared to present Gooch and Thornton with a petition stating that they would resign if Arthur T. was not reinstated. [27]
Supporters of Arthur T. Demoulas kept the rallies going through August. On August 5, the workers held their fourth-largest demonstration, as thousands protested at the Market Basket store in Tewksbury. [28] Beginning on August 7, a handful of protesters gathered outside of a home in York, Maine, that reportedly belonged to a Market Basket shareholder. [29] On August 15, hundreds of employees continued to protest, including 200 outside of Market Basket headquarters, despite management threatening to fire a number of employees if they did not return to work. [30] That same day, a replacement driver for Market Basket got out of his truck with a hammer and approached protesters at the company's headquarters in Tewksbury in a threatening manner. He was arrested by Tewksbury police and charged with assault by means of a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct. [31]
The atmosphere of the Market Basket protests was described as being like an "outdoor rock festival", "tailgating party", and "campaign rally". [28] [32] [33] At a rally at the Tewksbury store, protesters threw beach balls in the air as loud music played from large speakers set up around the parking lot. [28] Also in Tewksbury, a stage adorned with red, white and blue bunting was set up where protesters delivered speeches. [32] At the company's headquarters, protesters put up tents and roasted a lamb in a fire pit. They also brought an American flag to hang from a flag pole on the property after the company went days without putting up a flag. [31] Protesters carried signs with blown-up pictures of Arthur T. Demoulas. Giraffes also appeared on signs and some employees held up stuffed giraffes, as the employees were "sticking their necks out" for Demoulas. Protesters received many donations, including food, signs, and portable toilets. [31] [32]
Response from company[ edit]On July 30, CEOs Gooch and Thornton released a statement that promised that "any associate that wants to return will be welcomed and not penalized". It also stated that the store would "begin advertising for employment opportunities" on August 8 to replace employees who chose not to work. [34] The letter prompted a response from Massachusettsand New Hampshire Attorneys General Martha Coakley and Joseph Foster, who reminded the company's executives that their actions had "serious implications" on many small businesses that relied on their relationship with Market Basket for their means of support as well as Market Basket's obligations to compensate fired employees. Thornton and Gooch responded by stating that they “sincerely hope[d]” they would not have to fire any employees and desired to get the "stores back up and running for our customers and, importantly, for the many local vendors that rely on Market Basket to make their own businesses successful”. [35]
On August 4, the company held a job fair for prospective employees. Thornton and Gooch later stated that they had heard that many people were “concerned for their safety” if they attended the fair and they would allow people to apply for jobs through email because those interested “should be given an opportunity without fear of intimidation or harassment.” Steve Paulenka, one of the leaders of the protests, disputed the CEOs' claims. He stated that about 200 employees had demonstrated outside of the job fair and that the protests had been peaceful. [28]
On August 7, 2014, Market Basket stopped scheduling future hours for part-time employees. [36] Beginning August 23, however, some part-time workers were called back to begin working again if available. [37]
On August 12, the company sent a "final" warning to 200 to 700 employees. The letter, signed by Gooch and Thornton, informed employees that if they did not return to work by August 15, the company would consider their jobs abandoned and terminate their employment. [38] According to the Boston Globe, none of the employees that received the ultimatum had returned to work. [39]
On August 16, DeMoulas Super Markets placed security guards at both of the entrances of the company's headquarters. The guards recorded the protesters with camcorders. The company also banned the media from the property. [31]
National impact[ edit]The Market Basket protests struck a chord nationally because, as BBC business reporter Kim Gittleson wrote, "the dispute seemed to encapsulate everything that is wrong with corporate America". [4] Chris Faraone described the dispute as "the last stand for the middle class" in an article for Esquire. [40] |
