Thursday News at Noon: BJ's Settles Wage and Hour Suit, Q3 number plummet, Suozzi down 553 votes

Industry
UFCW Local 1360 resumed talks with Acme this morning, as a threat of a walkout loomed.

UFCW Local 7 is waiting to vote on last proposals from King Soopers, Safeway.

Costco will not budge on their price dispute with Coca-Cola.

Target announced it plans to roll out their expanded grocery and perishables format, called p-fresh (which stands for 'Prototype-Fresh'), to 350 more discount stores in 2010 and ultimately to the majority of its base following encouraging sales results at the first 108 stores. P-fresh, or prototype-fresh, is a format that adds 90% of the food categories and approximately 60% of the SKU count available at the company’s Super Target stores...

From the sound of it Target employees are not thrilled about P-Fresh.
 
Tops opens first store since going '100% local'.  They plan on operating the company completely local.

BJ's Wholesale Club has some dissatisfying Q3 numbers.  BJ's and investors say the $11.7 Million Dollar wage and hour lawsuit which was settled contributes to these terrible Q3 numbers. 

Penn Traffic Co., based in Syracuse, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday, just four years after emerging from a previous bankruptcy filing

On Monday the Government Accountability Office said: work related injuries are underreported. 

Forbes: Unemployment, up again.

Ahold is announcing a new "cost-cutting program."


Pathmark announced that shoppers can now automatically link digital savings to their loyalty cards thanks to the Online Advantage program available at pathmark.com.

A&P was recognized for environmental stewardship.

The Food Industry applauds the Food Safety Bill. 

New York Times updates on Kingsbridge Armory. Meanwhile Mayor Bloomberg and city development officials remained dead set Tuesday against imposing a "living wage" mandate on the developer who plans to turn the white elephant Kingsbridge Armory into a $310 million shopping mall

Politics
Despite the Mayor's opposition, the NY City Council has passed the 5 minute grace period for parking on an expired meter.

Governor Patterson is readying legislation that would require developers to pay prevailing wages on many construction projects that receive public financing, meaning that construction workers would have to be paid significantly more than minimum wage.

Out in Brookhaven, Long Island, town officials are being urged to study the economic impact and overall impacts on projects throughout Eastport and East Moriches.

Democrats Ben Nelson (Nebraska), Mary Landrieu (Louisiana) and  Blanche Lincoln (Arkansas) may block the Health Care bill in the Senate.

Newsday updates the Suozzi v. Mangano Nassau County Executive election.  By count last night Souzzi, the incumbent trailed by 553 votes.

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.