Salem Massachusetts – By Emman Okuns.
The standoff between the current management of Market Basket Supermarket and its employees over the termination of beloved Chief Executive Officer, Arthur T Demoulas does not appear to be going away any sooner.
As it enters the second week, aggrieved and protesting workers and sympathetic customers have vowed to fight on, until Arthur T Demoulas is reinstated as CEO of the company.
Market basket got into trouble with thousands of its employees and customers when management fired CEO Arthur Demoulas in a circumstance that took the shape of a palace coup allegedly engendered by family intrigues.
Nearly two weeks following the infamous sack, employees and customers, loyal to him remain defiant even in the face of series of threats by management to fire them if they refuse to stop the protest and return to work.
In various cities in the country where Market Basket maintains a presence, several customers believe that the management’s action that triggered employees’ fierce reaction brought untold hardship to the host communities who have over the years counted on the supermarket chain for affordable groceries and other household items.
Employees carried signs of various inscriptions to show solidarity for Arthur T. Demoulas. Staff who posed for photograph did so only with assurance from this reporter that their faces would not be revealed.
Alltimepost.com talked to some of the staff and customers in the Salem area of Massachusetts to get their feelings about the industrial impasse.
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas and Mary-Ann Pszenny are long-time customers of Market Basket who started shopping since 1970 when it was called Demoulas in the Danvers areas of Massachusetts.
To them, “it is about care and treating people the way you want to be treated” – a re-echo of the belief of thousands of staff of the company who have emotional attachment to Arthur T. Demoulas for the humane way he has treated staff over the years.
“These people don’t get paid much. They want to be treated like normal people, they don’t want to be treated like numbers,” said Thomas Pszenny.
“Bring back the CEO because the people love him,” Mr. Pszenny who retired as an Engineer and inspector of aircraft engines at General Electric in Lynn Massachusetts after working for 44 years, demanded.
He said they would stand with the workers until their demands are met.
Mary-Ann, his wife said they have always been committed to defending what is right and fighting injustice. She is a day care provider who also retired having worked in the human service all her life.
She named the Crombie Street- a shelter in Salem, Catholic Charity, and the North Shore Arc (where she helped to take care of people with mental disabilities) as her former places of work.
The couple have an only son whom they adopted through the Catholic Charity from South Korea in 1972 – a phenomenon buttressing their humanness and commitment to the service of humanity.
Junior Employees at the Salem branch of Market Basket refused to talk to the press for fear of reprisal.
The only one who did, offered few words and begged for anonymity. To him, Arthur T. Demoulas made the place a great place to work.
He cited great benefits, such as bonuses, great health care, college funding “as incentives that would make you want to work at Market basket.”
He was afraid that with the new CEO, things would not be the same again and that the everyday low price the customers used to enjoy will go away.
David Webber is the Salem branch Manager of the supermarket chain and had this to say about the ousted CEO in an interview with Alltimepost.com:
“He always takes care of employees like family and not like a CEO. He spends a lot of time in the store; he knows every body’s name. He always asks about your family. He always offers his assistance if we need anything at all.”
David Webber went further to talk about the sterling qualities of Arthur T Demoulas that over the years endeared him to the generality of the employees.
Said he: “He also rewards employees with bonuses, good health coverage, and profit sharing,” adding that under him, retirement account is funded 100% by the company.
On the ultimatum issued to employees to return to work or get fired, he dismissed it as “a scare tactics by the new CEO to try to get us all back to work.” “We have all been working anyway,” he said, adding that what seems to actually paralyze the company’s merchandise activities are the actions of the truck drivers and ware house workers who embarked on a work-to-rule action to get Arthur T .Demoulas back.
There is no trade unionism in Market Basket, but employees are united in their mission to demand what is right. “We have no trade union, but all managers are united in running this show.”
A tour of the facility shows scanty business transactions as few customers come in to pick up some few items that are available.
The produce area is like a ghost town as shelves are empty, even bakery products are scarce as only a few of them were available at the time of visit during the week.
Market Basket management could not be reached for comments.
