Thursday 3/3 Lunchtime One-Liners:

 “I've worked there from August 2004 and I have never had a vacation; I've gotten sick and had to go to work sick; I've worked on holidays and haven't gotten paid extra; and I never got overtime,” said Jesus Najera, a 31-year-old immigrant from Honduras who plans to vote in favor of the union. “We think that with the union there will be changes for the better at the store.” -From Today's Crain's: Two Brooklyn Supermarkets Hit with Class-Action Suits.

#Industry 

Target has beaten Walmart in a pricing survey.

Meanwhile, they've [Target] just paid $35M for a hefty piece of property in the Bronx, looking for their third store in the borough. 

BJ's Wholesale Club is projecting gains in 2011.

King Kullen's new nutritional shopping guide is a hit, so far.

BJ's Wholesale Club's profit's are in the decline by 81%, but rising fuel costs have been a major help... Their Q4 was dragged down by expenses but its adjusted results beat expectations, sending its shares higher.

Ahold's (Stop & Shop) Q4 profit is down 42%. More @CanadianBusiness.

CBS News says retail sales were strong, but expect price increases soon.

Atlantic City Press: Town board to review Walmart's Expansion.

Our brothers and sisters @Local338 & @NYChange (NY Communities for Change) are working to improve working conditions at two Brooklyn Supermarkets. Great work!

If you've been following the Walmart South Africa story, Walmart's merger w/ Massmart (South Africa) is a threat, both sides have been unwilling to unwillingness to make any  commitments that would address public interest concerns about the impact of the merger on local procurement, food security and broad-based black economic empowerment: “A merger of the size of the proposed Wal-Mart/Massmart transaction, and with the size and leverage of the parties which are involved, could, if not properly regulated, go some way towards undermining the New Growth Path”, the departments said.

#WalmartNYC

Brooklyn Business Owners Fear Walmart's Presence...Edgar Andrade fears Wal-Mart's low prices would drive his hardware and dollar store out of business if the company opened a location nearby.

#Walmart’s Women Problem: "New Yorkers might think twice before allowing such drama into our City"  http://exm.nr/i80GYP

#StandupUnions

More than 20,000 rally for Ohio for Public Employees. But yesterday Ohio's Senate passed a Bill to weaken collective bargaining rights for public employees, the bill bans the right to strike, read more @ The NY Times: 

In Ohio, Nina Turner, a Senate Democrat, said, “This bill seeks to vilify our public employees and turn what used to be the virtue of public service into a crime.” At its heart, the bill redraws rules governing how several hundred thousand public-sector workers bargain with the governments that employ them. Among the most objectionable parts, workers said, are the rules giving local officials the final say in breaking labor impasses. Currently, non-elected, third parties decide.

Why are workers being used as bailouts for economic problems? The elected officials are mostly to blame for fiscal problems, not workers!

UFCW Activists, help workers in Ohio!

Mid-Weed One Liners: Aldi is Coming to the Bronx, Queens and Long Island

Image via Wikipedia

Aldi begins to make Footprints on NY 

Aldi is coming to Long Island, The Bronx and Queens according to a report from Newsday [subscription].

Aldi, coming to Pelham Gardens in the Bronx, as News 12 reports.

On Tuesday it was reported that King Kullen pulled reusable bags from the shelves due to lead concerns.  More @ CBS News.  Now they're saying their reusable bags have tested safe.
 
Fairway Market in Douglaston is set to open in Spring '11.

UFCW 21 has called in a Federal Mediator for their negotiations.
Whole Foods enters Walmart's territory, OKC.

Walmart lost a development fight in San Diego: City leaders voted to force big-box retailers that want to sell groceries to study how a store will affect the surrounding neighborhood before a building permit is considered.

Officials in a suburbanRochester town have rejected a local Walmart store's request to remain open through Thanksgiving night into the morning of Black Friday.

A union effort is underway to organize Price Chopper stores, some of whose hourly employees were represented by UFCW when they worked in the recently sold Penn Traffic stores.

In Pennsylvania, a Giant Eagle worker was arrested for talking "Union" in the store, and found not-guilty.

NY State Senator Savino (Staten Island) teamed up with our brothers and sisters in RWDSU 338 donating turkeys.

Related articles

• Supermarket Chain Pulls Reusable Bags Over Lead (newyork.cbslocal.com)

UFCW 401 workers need your support, Paid Sick Days will alleviate Swine Flu, Thursday Morning Read

"Many, many parents are worried today about keeping their jobs. They cannot also worry about having to stay home with a sick child."
-Councilmember Gale Brewer, calling for passage of a paid sick days bill that would let working parents take a day off to keep sick kids out of school, on CBS News. (From WFP)

CBS News: H1N1 Prompts City Council to pass Paid Sick Days.

WNYC: Officials say paid sick days will alleviate Swine Flu.

UFCW, Industry

More than 350 UFCW Local 401 members from Safeway in Canada have been without a contract since December, and are now bracing for a long lockout as replacement workers cross the picket line.
“This is not about money, this is about job security,” O’Halloran said. “They are looking for job guarantees to the end of this contract, and the company will not give them that.” Local 401 needs your support!

Meanwhile in Denver, Safeway and UFCW Local 7 are continuing their contract negotiations.  UFCW Local 7 rejected Safeway's latest offer yesterday which would not give most workers raises, and the offer does not eliminate a system that offers less pay and fewer benefits to workers who were hired more recently.  The 200 union members who were at Wednesday's negotiations rejected the contract.


The CEO of A&P has some "Fresh" ideas for growth:
Eric Claus sees a divided future in the grocery aisle.
There will be high-end supermarkets and value-priced stores but few midlevel stores, he said.
That's why the chief executive of Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea is gearing up to modernize his stores for price-conscious shoppers who have been stung by the recession.

The Daily News updates the Kings Bridge 'Food Fight', where another hearing took place Wednesday and discussion was dominated by plans for a huge supermarket for the armory, and its impact on the Morton Williams supermarket across the street.

Elsewhere, City

Stella D'oro will move operations to Ohio.

The AP says food prices are beginning to fall.

Whole Foods tries to win back customers by pushing more 'value options' during tough economic times.
New York plans on collecting 5 cents on water bottles next month.

Poll: 1 in 3 Young Workers lives at home with parents.

Curbed looks at the new Brooklyn Nets arena design.

And finally, Tom Suozzi vows not to raise Nassau County taxes.