Thursday Morning One Liners: CWA & IBEW Win Battle vs Verizon

Found on Twitter: According to #Romney's logic, he could not win the vote of his Dad, who would be one of the 47% via @MoveOn #47percent ow.ly/dRfiW

High rents are hitting middle class New Yorkers harder than anywhere else in the country.

Middle-income renters, defined as those earning between $35,000 and $75,000 annually, face the most pressure in Manhattan, where 45% pay rent that is officially "unaffordable." But even those living in less expensive Staten Island and Queens aren't much better off. There, 44% of middle-class residents in both boroughs shoulder unaffordable housing costs.
According to the study, 30% of New Yorkers devote more than half their income to rent alone. The high cost of living here is threatening to drive the middle class out of the city, Mr. Liu said.

Read more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20120919/ECONOMY/120919873#ixzz271FO9JNy

CWA& IBEW Win battle w/ Verizon after 13-month negotiation.  Read the statement from the CWA.

More @ Crain's NY: Verizon reaches a tentative contract

Good Read: WNYC looks at New York's 47%.

Elsewhere: Profiting from Climate Change: Oil companies rush to the arctic to drill as glaciers melt.

NY Industry News Briefs: 4/6-4/7

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Forbes observes while Walmart and Target are changing to smaller format stores for more 'urban appeal', Aldi has the upper hand, as demonstrated in Queens.  Forbes.com.

Progressive Grocer was at the grand opening of Food Town in Williamsburg.

Stop & Shop celebrated their 21st anniversary.

A&P is suing Stop & Shop for allegedly  hiring a former executive, Rocky Vitale.

In D.C., Walmart protesters disrupted a City Council session.

Speaking of Walmart, it was announced recently they're the least loved department store on Social Media.

In San Diego, where Walmart is also spending millions of dollars to gain support to open a store, a bill passed requiring new "superstores" (90,000 sqft or more) to conduct economic impact analysis studies, part of the permit process.  Read more @ Sign on San Diego.

The UFCW rallied for justice for Fresh and Easy workers in California.

BJ's CEO Laura Sen made $4M this year.

From New Jersey: A&P Barnegat scheduled to close this month, the company is mum on workers.  Real estate owners say another tenant, possibly a supermarket may fill the vacant space.

In Wisconsin, voters are coming out against Gov. Scott Walker's candidates. 


The City canned plans to pave the Coney Island boardwalk with cement.

Aldi to Queens in 2010, The WFP wins again, Wednesday Morning Read...

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Nearly 300 UNITE HERE members protesting demands from major hotels in Chicago and San Francisco for cutbacks, and the firing of 100 housekeepers in Boston, were arrested in peaceful civil disobedience demonstrations in recent days.

Sign the petition to keep Stella D'oro production plant open in the Bronx!

Whole Foods protests are getting more creative, a musical protest was performed in Oakland this week.

Wal-Mart & K-Mart are targeting recession-weary toy buyers this holiday season, Wal-Mart is planning on offering 100 toys for $10.

Washington Post: From Whole Foods to the Food Bank, Middle Class residents find themselves with hat in hand.

Duane Reade launched a private label food brand.

Aldi Supermarket, [sister of Trader Joe's] will open its' first NYC store in Queens.  Don't expect the expansion to stop, they're plans are much larger than one store. For those new to Aldi, Aldi is known for its store-branded merchandise, with about 95% of the items exclusive to Aldi.  According to the company, Aldi's prices are up to 50% lower than the prices at traditional supermarkets.  Ranked 25th among U.S. grocery chains in gross sales, Aldi's Queens' store is part of a larger expansion plan, under which the company is opening some 80 new stores this year. BNet analyzes the move.

Meanwhile, Trader Joe's is in talks for opening another store, this one in Chelsea on 6th between 21st and 22nd.

Politics 

The turnout was low, but Bill De Blasio (138,736 votes) and John Liu (121,173) were winners in last night's runoff, marking another victory this election season for the Working Families Party, the NY Times City Room has more.
 

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• Can America's Urban Food Deserts Bloom? (time.com)

Queens gets a Fairway

Image by 1hr photo via Flickr

Queens gets a Fairway

Fairway Markets have announced they will be opening a new store in Douglaston, Queens, a supermarket starved area.

Fairway Markets announced they will be opening a store in Douglaston, Queens, an area salivating for a new supermarket, good food and good jobs:

"Area residents — short on supermarket options — are cheering a Board of Standards and Appeals decision allowing a Fairway Market to open in the Douglaston Plaza Shopping Center.
“We are so happy. The owner is very community minded; he’s a lovely man,” said Rosemary Guidice...

The community-minded Howie Glickberg will not only bring union jobs to the community but also healthy affordable food. Glickberg dispelled the common myth associated with Fairway as a 'upscale store', "Glickberg indicated his store’s prices are 15 to 25 percent cheaper than Waldbaum’s, with a greater selection of items for the public..." [The Queens Tribune has more on Fairway in Douglaston]

Fairway Market operates stores in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Long Island and New Jersey, providing communities with union jobs and healthy, affordable food for over 50 years.

Trader Joe's set to open up in Queens

In today's Daily News, Rachel Warton highlights Trader Joe's silent entrance to Queens.

Whole Foods may open each splashy new store with a frenzy of publicity, but the city's second Trader Joe's is practically sneaking into Queens: The California grocer opens a Rego Park branch at 90-30 Metropolitan Ave. this Friday.

Right now the Local 1500 S.T.A.R.T. Team along with organizers from Local 1500 are working to educate these new Trader Joe's employees on what they deserve as supermarket workers. A website has been launched to give Trader Joe's employees an idea of how "Joe" is betraying them. Check out www.TraitorJoesNY.com