Supermarket employee supporting his CEO
by Omar Rivero
The nation’s largest non-union strike in decades is also the most unusual: instead of workers protesting against a CEO, they are risking their jobs to defend him. Thousands of workers of New England Supermarket chain Market Basket, which employs 25,000 at 71 stores, have been on strike for a week to reinstate their former CEO, Arthur T. Demoulas, who was ousted by the board in June after a long-running family dispute.
Twelve lifelong employees were also fired over the weekend for organizing rallies attended by more than 5,000 people demanding the return of their beloved boss. Store parking lots, usually packed with shoppers, are empty. Ditto the shelves. Shoppers and lawmakers from across the region have joined the workers in a rare triumph of community solidarity. These non-union workers have achieved something remarkable: a total shutdown of the company and unprecedented community support.
How did Arthur T. Demoulas, known affectionately as Artie T. by his employees, inspire such leadership that they are willing to lose their jobs to defend him?
Unlike most CEOs, Artie T. believes in putting people before profits. Since becoming President of the company in 2008, he has provided employees with good pay and great benefits, including regular bonuses and profit-sharing. None of which have stopped the company from offering products far more affordable than regional competitors. Artie T. implemented a 4 percent across-the-board price cut this year to respond to shoppers’ needs. Nat Simeon, who has worked for the company for 30 years, shares how Artie T. had his back during a health crisis:
“I actually had a heart attack, and I never missed a check,” Simeon said. “I was paid every week. You find another CEO or another person that would take care of you or your family. He knows my daughters’ names.”
The new co-CEOs want to destroy Artie T.’s legacy by paying lower wages and drastically reducing profit sharing and bonuses. Organizers of the Save Market Basket (hyperlink Facebook page) are planning what they expect to be the largest rally yet on Friday outside the company’s headquarters in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. They have one demand: bring back Artie T. or we aren’t working.
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