Balducci's expands to the Middle East, BJ's expect to be opposed in Brooklyn, and Monday Morning One Liners...

Balducci's has announced they will be one of the first US Food retailers to open a store in the Middle East.

Here's more on Balducci's expansion.

If you haven't read it yet Wal-Mart has been warning their employees of a Democratic win.

Pathmark & A&P recruits workers by offering discounts.

With 341 locations Dunkin Donuts has more stores in the city than any other chain, including Starbucks.

On the Amish Hyde Park closing, a former councilman said "I'm really not surprised that they closed," he said. "They really never got off on the right foot, and a lot of the people I know just were not willing to pay the high prices."

We got some press in Crain's on Friday morning regarding our fights against BJ's.

Here's a blog that discusses why the Hyde Park Amish failed

United Food & Commercial Workers Union, Local 555 filed an Unfair Labor Practice Charge against Fred Meyer (owned by the Kroger Co.) for failing to bargain in good faith.

UFCW Local 791 warned over the weekend that a strike is looming because Shaw's Supermarkets refuses to back off proposals that offer substandard wage increases, eliminate the defined benefit pension plan, and gut the health care plan while asking workers to pay more for a lesser health plan.

It's reported today although that Local 791 has ratified a new five-year contract.

Here's more on the contract.

Price investments and promotional activity helped Ahold post quarterly sales gains of 1.7% at Stop & Shop/Giant-Landover and 11.5% at Giant-Carlisle, the company, based here, said Friday. Read more of this story

The founding family of 'The Fresh Market' had a buyout scare last week, but the company retains that the family will remain in control over the rapidly growing supermarket.

Two unions representing 65,000 workers at Verizon postponed a strike threatened for Sunday morning, citing progress in late-night negotiations.

Political

Change to Win leader and vice-president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Geralyn Lutty, along with two members from Change to Win unions, joined state and national experts and grassroots Americans in Cleveland, Ohio this weekend for the Democratic Party's Platform Drafting Committee meeting to assist in defining and drafting the Party's national platform.

A new website posts the salaries of 263,000 state employees.

Here's more on Weiner's proposed Job Creation plan.

Bloomberg is hosting a party for Hillary Clinton tonight, on Barack Obama’s birthday.