Mid-Week News Briefs:

Image via WikipediaWalmart is currently in the largest class action suit in US history, on Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard the case Walmart Stores v. Dukes, in order to determine if Walmart is simply "too big" for a class action suit.  More @Supermarket News.

ABC News looks at how other companies embrace women at the workplace.

A&P's retired executives are seeking representation in A&P's Chapter 11, they stopped receiving payments in November from their plan.


Governor Walker is ignoring a court order and publishing his law, curbing collective bargaining for public employees.

The Governor in Maine has removed a mural which illustrated the history of working families in the state.  More:[Video]

Supermarket News reported on UFCW's push for April 4th, We are ONE rally.

Crain's reports a new 16,000 sqft Grocer will be opening on 110th Street.

Walmart is paying attention to the "changing consumer".


The NY Times looks at Aldi, where Walmart (NYC) has failed, they've succeeded.

The Walmart Truth Tour is coming to NYC on Thursday! Earlier this week they were in Chicago, check out the video and report from Progressive Illinois.

Austin Guest from JWJ, "Walmart Associates in their own words, 'this company doesn't respect workers'"

Must Read: Excellent editorial from Matt Ryan of NYJWJ: Sometimes It Takes a Fire to Wake Us Up.

The Atlantic makes is simple, Walmart is greedy and just wants more.

Ohio continues attack on workers, passes Anti-Worker bill.

In Oregon, the UFCW is rallying supporting workers from Albertsons, Fred Myer & Safeway.

Michigan's Item Pricing Law was repealed.

Trader Joe's frozen pizza has been recalled, 131,000 pounds of it.

In Pittsburgh, the UFCW is protesting Giant Eagle's massive cutbacks in workers' hours.

Contracts with 100,000 NY State workers end today at midnight.

Tuesday Afternoon One LIners...

Wal-Mart to pay $27.6 million to settle California environmental case

Wal-Mart has agreed to pay $27.6 million to settle charges that it violated California environmental laws in its handling and disposal of hazardous materials, prosecutors involved in the case announced Monday in San Diego.

 

NY Daily News responds to Walmarts "cheap underwear" critics...

 

Bringing Down Wal-Mart

The woman who once dreamed of turning her life around through hard work and promotion into Wal-Mart corporate management is now the first “named plaintiff” in a sexual-bias class-action lawsuit against the mega-corporation. 

 

Shaw’s Rejects Union’s Offer to Settle Strike at Methuen Warehouse

The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 791 announced today that Shaw’s Supermarkets rejected the union’s contract offer...

 

New Whole Foods Market to open in Schaumburg, IL

Air Products’ Hydrogen and Technology Fueling Wegmans’ Warehouse Operations [PA]

The produce at Wegmans Retail ServiceCenter (RSC) just got greener...

 

Concern over possible Flushing supermarket closure 

Hundreds of Flushing residents and their leaders are gearing up to fight the rumored closing of the Key Food supermarket at the intersection of Roosevelt Avenue and Bowne Street.

 

FreshDirect Rolls Out ‘Guaranteed Fresh’ Mark

Online grocer FreshDirect has debuted “Guaranteed Fresh” labels, which appear on all freshly made meals, meat, seafood, dairy and produce items. The designation clearly shows customers exactly how many days their food will remain fresh.

Stop & Shop Earns an A+ From Local Schools

Stop & Shop today announced it will distribute $1 million to local schools on behalf of Stop & Shop and its A+ Bonus Bucks shoppers. 

Whole Foods Market to Carry Converted Organics' Products

Total of 84 Stores With New Distribution Through North Atlantic and Mid-Atlantic Store Regions Whole Foods Expands Distribution of All-Natural Fertilizer by 66 Stores

 

 

Friday Morning One-Liners: Wal-Mart OK's Meeting with Chicago's Labor

Wal-Mart has OK'd a meeting to sit down with labor (UFCW, Chicago Federation of Labor)  to push for more Chicago expansion.[Chicago Sun-Times] 

Ramirez noted that Wal-Mart has been bombarding the airwaves with commercials in recent days boasting about how well its employees are treated.
"If they do all this great stuff, sit down and put it in writing. You haven't exactly lived up to the letter of the law in other places," Ramirez said.
"They've got the largest class-action lawsuit in American history for systematically paying women less than they pay men for doing the exact same thing. The [alarm] bells should be going off at City Hall saying, 'We don't want to bring in predatory employers.' I don't hear a commercial saying that."

New York
Crain's Poll: "Would you Shop at a NYC Walmart?" Check out what other New Yorkers are saying.

WSJ Blog: NYC Wal-Mart, Speaker Quinn and Mayor Bloomberg Disagree.

CNN: Wal-Mart's Bad PR Comes at a Bad Time...

King Kullen donates $100,000 of Groceries to Island Harvest (Long Island).

UFCW President Joe Hansen released a statement denouncing Arizona’s controversial new immigration law: "Arizona's new immigration law is unworkable, unconstitutional and it undermines our nation's rich immigrant history and heritage. It is a recipe for racial profiling and a marked retreat from the values and ideals that have made America strong."

Kroger: Wal-Mart's  aggressive new price campaign has it behaving more like a promotional supermarket and less like an everyday discounter, at least according to the estimation of one competitor. [Supermarket News]

Kelly Ripa has been recruited as the spokesperson for A&P's "Price Project", the company's new pricing program.

Greenpeace has released their annual Supermarket Seafood Sustainability chart [pdf], Target and Wegmans came in at 1 and 2, while A&P rated at 7... Supermarket News has more.

UFCW Local 1: Cooperstown Great American Gobbled Up by Golub
Neil Golub is at it again.  He may be destroying more good jobs, this time in Cooperstown NY.  The Golub Corporation has purchased the Great American store in Cooperstown NY, the birth of baseball.  This may be a strike out for Great American employees.  Will Neil Golub offer the 50 employees at Great American a position with his store after he takes over in three weeks?  If history repeats itself the answer is, no....

Pat Purcell, Assistant to the President, UFCW Local 1500, joined the Neil Cavuto Show to discuss Wal-Mart in NYC, Wednesday.  Check out the video.

Thousands of workers and union members angry over lost jobs and the taxpayer-funded bailout of banks marched on Wall Street Thursday. [Crain's NY]