Wednesday Morning News Briefs: Stop & Shop's Ridiculous Social Media Policy, Honoring Dr. King

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Last week we filed charges with the NLRB against Stop & Shop's social media policy.  "It's our belief that Stop and Shop has implemented a social media policy that is vague, overboard and in violation of the civil rights of our members employed at their stores," said Secretary-Treasurer Tony Speelman.

The news of the charge got some media attention:

The Brand Channel called it a "a closely watched case that could impact employees' use of social media," The New Haven Register, ABA Journal, Law 360, Delaware Employment Law Blog, Lexis-Nexis, Inside Counsel, News & Insight,  Perishable News and Thompson Reuters all covered the filing.

A 73-year Suffolk County old woman is suing the world's largest retailer, Walmart, for age discrimination. More @ NYPost.

Great news, Walmart looks to source more farm items from India.  They're also close to winning their battle to open marketside shops in San Fran.

The Economic Populist writes how Walmart's Low Prices Bear High Costs for Americans.


Walmart and Pathmark were voted America's worst supermarket chains.

Switching over from an A&P store front isn't the solution either, in Maryland operators who took over for shuttered A&P stores are having lots and lots of difficulty says a report from Supermarket News.

H-Mart, the Asian-American chain takes over for a shuttered Pathmark in Hartsdale, NY.

Align is Challenging Walmart's New York expansion.

Walmart is also asking for community input from all communities they're trying to set up shop in, all except New York, fuggedaboutit.

Customers were handed this handbill last week

What's going on at Target Valley Stream? Well they're closing the store this month and last week we held an action to gain public support to keep the store open.

The New Amsterdam News & Think Progress wrote on the store closing.

In Canada, Target is trying to fire all former employees (some of them unionized) of the company they bought out, Zellers, the UFCW is fighting against it.

Last week we met with our Canadian brothers and sisters to discuss Target, and the Walmartization of Target stores.

Bargaining 
Local 1262 OK'd a new contract with ShopRite & Stop and Shop.

Local 400 ratified a contract with Giant, Safeway yesterday.  More @ The Washington Post.

Contract negotiations between Foxwoods Resort Casino management and the union for some 2,200 table-games dealers are about to enter an arbitration phase with the sides far apart on wages, health insurance and other issues.

American Airlines is asking a bankruptcy judge to break their union contracts, impose cuts on workers.

Social Justice: 89,000 PA kids in poverty were slashed from Medicaid.

Aldi has opened its second Long Island store in Lake Grove, read more at Newsday.

More Long Island news, Best Yet has launched a new banner: Best Market.

NY1: Compromise may have scaled down the soon to be passed living wage bill.

UFCW President Joe Hansen calls for a Congressional Investigation on NLRB leaks.

The New York Observer says bigger isn't always better, highlighting Target's and Walmart's new strategy for smaller format stores.

The NY Daily News looks at RWDSU/Make the Road's campaign to organize New York's Car washers.

44 years ago today, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot.  We eternally honor him.

Wednesday Afternoon One Liners...

Labor Notes: Mott's Strike Enters Month 3, Seeks National Support

Yesterday, N.Y. State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli visited the Mott's picket line. [Press Release]  The Daily News also picked up the story.

More @ RWDSU

Check out WNYLabor's video on Mott's.

Sour Apples: Mott's Workers Continue to Strike as Harvest Season Looms....

Wal-Mart has quietly been raising prices. [The Daily Finance]

N.Y. State Senate rejected the Farm Workers Bill: The measure would require farmers to pay workers time-and-a-half wages and provide 24 consecutive hours of rest each week. Collective-bargaining rights would also be extended to employees who work on farms that record more than $650,000 in gross income over a year.

Foxwoods is appealing their UFCW representation vote. The casino and its tribal owner, the Ledyard-area Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, last week disclosed its intention to appeal. Bartenders, drink servers, and bar porters voted 190-145 to affiliate with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 371.

Steven Jenkins, cheese impresario and senior manager of Fairway Market in New York City has written an Op-Ed in The Gourmet Retailer.

Sam's Club is adding WiFi?

Missed the UFCW's Panel on Immigration Reform? You can watch it here.

Monday News after Noon...

FDA Needs Help Inspecting Food Imports
SAN ANTONIO- As food safety legislation continues to be considered in the Senate, the Food & Drug Administration finds itself lacking resources needed for inspections of imported foods and other products. 


Wegmans CEO recognized by business association
Danny Wegman, cheif executive officer of Wegmans Food Markets, received an award for his lifetime contributions to the retail food industry. 


Wegmans of Collegeville Promotes Available Full-Service Catering Options
The local epicurean experts of the high-quality grocery outlet, Wegmans extend their invitations to assist area residents in all facets of summer entertaining


Kroger says it has deal to avert Michigan strike
Kroger Co. says it's reached a tentative three-year agreement with a labor union, averting a strike by 14,000 workers at 133 stores


Whole Foods Eyes Scotland Expansion


Canaan Elementary gets a helping hand from Hannaford
Canaan Elementary School Principal, Steve Swindells,recently received a $1,000 dollar check from Skowhegan Hannaford. Canaan Elementary School received the bonus for raising the most money for area schools through the Hannaford Helps Schools program. 


Cargo Workers Stage Job Actions
SEATTLE- Backed by Teamsters Local 117, workers at a several loading companies in the Puget Sound region where scheduled to stage job actions Friday at distribution centers operated by Safeway, Fred Meyer and Unified Grocers, among others. 

Foxwoods Bartenders Seek Labor Union Under U.S. Supervision

Bartenders at Foxwoods Resort Casino are trying to form a labor union under the supervision of the U.S. government after failing to organize under the rules of the Indian tribe that owns the casino. 

More: Foxwoods Resort Casino Faces New Demand for Union...[Daily Caller]



In China, Unlikely Labor Leader Just Wanted a Middle-Class Life
Tan Guocheng uis hardly a self-styled labor leader, but last month an hour into his shift at Honda factory in the southern city of Foshan, Mr. Tan pressed an emergency button that shut down his production line. "Let's go out on strike!" he shouted. 


Students Stage Walkout over MetroCard Elimination
About 1,000 students from 23 high schools in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens met at a rally at City Hall Park, marched across the Brooklyn Bridge and briefly rallied at the Transit Building on Jay Street in Brooklyn to protest the planned cut