Top 11 Industry Stories From This Week

— TOP 11 INDUSTRY/LABOR NEWS ARTICLES FROM THIS WEEK — 1.  Last week Target was found guilty of violating federal labor laws by the National Labor Relations Board.  Target respectfully disagrees, still. 2. In a shocking development, rescuers have a found a trapped woman in the rubble, 17 days after a garment factory in Bangladesh collapsed, killing over 1,000. 3. A judge has dismissed claims against former A&P executives. 4. Walmart has launched a new image campaign. 5.  Detroit has joined the Fast Food Strike!  Fast Food workers throughout Michigan have gone on strike today, demanding better working conditions. 6. Whole Foods is mulling larger stores, and acquisitions. 7. Is the embattled Walmart CEO, Mike Duke, contemplating stepping down? UFCW has been calling for the CEO to step down since the Mexican bribery scandal was uncovered. 8.  Why do we need Unions again? A Pregnant T-Mobile employee was forced to use vacation time to use the restroom, then fired for 0.12 cent error.  9.  The invisible epidemic of Wage Theft: When Your Boss Steals Your Wages, a Top Trend in American Corporations. 10. Construction is well under way for the new Aldi Food Market on Nostrand Ave. 11.  Make this Mother's Day Union Made! Check out the UFCW Union-Made Mother's Day Gift Guide!

Friday Morning One-Liners: Stop & Shop coming to Oceanside? Shaw's workers will march...

 “They stalk the workers and attack them. The nephew of an employer knifed one of the employees we assist,” Axt said. She said New York falls behind other states like New Mexico and Arizona, which have better wage enforcement and more strict penalties.
 Deborah Axt, deputy director of Make the Road New York, at on the Wage Theft Prevention Act, in the Queens Chronicle.

The Hartford Courant, covers ShopRite's plans to take over Connecticut.
ShopRite said Tuesday it will open new stores in Canton, Enfield, Stratford and Hamden at former Shaw's locations next week.  The Hamden store will open on May 28; the other three will open May 26.

SEIU, UFCW, lead suit against discriminatory law in Arizona.

Boston.com: Shaw's Strikers Borrow from History, Planning a Five-Day March:
When striking Shaw’s warehouse workers embark on a five-day march this weekend to draw renewed attention to their nearly three-month fight against the supermarket company, they will also be evoking the civil rights and farm workers’ marches of the 1960s.

“You can’t win a strike these days, generally speaking, just walking around on a picket line,’’ said Russ Davis, executive director of Jobs With Justice, which helped plan the march.

Miley Cyrus goes toxic at Walmart:
Via WakeUpWalmart: UPDATE May 20, 9 AM: At approximately 7:45 last evening the AP reported that Walmart was pulling the Miley Cyrus branded jewelry. USA Today says it really well in their headline Walmart pulls cadmium-tainted kids' jewelry it knowingly sold for months.  Check their entire blog post, they've covered the story from front to back.

Also a great headline by the AP: Wal-Mart still selling Miley Cyrus cadmium jewelery.
Testing of 61 samples purchased by AP reporters across the country from a Cyrus line and from a series of make-it-yourself metal bracelet charms indicated that 59 of the pieces contained at least 5 percent cadmium by weight, with 53 of those measuring 10 percent or higher.

Or from the Examiner: Is Walmart Trying to Kill Miley Cyrus Fans?

Walmart's Q1 Numbers: Sales, Earnings Up; Comps Down. [SN]

Target is seeing gains in Traffic and Profits.

And one more on Q1, BJ's Wholesale Club Profits Rise [WSJ]

Supermarket Alert: Stop and Shop is coming to Oceanside [LI Herald]
Plans to develop a 24-hour Super Stop & Shop on the former Camp DeBaun site in Oceanside are in the works, after Town of Hempstead officials approved a design for a project that some residents said would raise traffic and quality-of-life issues in their quiet neighborhood...."This particular Stop & Shop has been designed to blend in with the neighborhood ...," said Steven Krieger, a principal at Engel Burman. "It includes peaked roofs instead of the typical stucco, and looks more like a home. This is really a state-of-the-art store."

ABC filmed their show "What Would You Do?" at Key Food on Montague Street, Brooklyn.  The show aired Wednesday night... [Brooklyn Heights Blog]

Local 1500, along with other labor unions in the Greater NYC area, joined politicians, community activists and workers to support the new proposed Wage Theft Prevention Act. [Queens Chronicle]

Duane Reade, who opened a hit retail food store in Chelsea a few months back, revealed their "Fresh Food Strategy" to the Progressive Grocer, good read.  Q: We read about your Chelsea store debut in March with greatly expanded fresh food — what was the thinking behind it, and why do you think the concept will be a hit in a drug store?

Duane Reade (DR): Our goal for our fresh food program is to make it easy for New Yorkers to access tasty, quality fresh food such as bagged salads and select produce in a convenient and enjoyable way.

Price Chopper is offering a loyalty program in upstate NY.

Detroit's Push for more Green Grocers:
To help independent grocers expand on their fresh food offerings, Detroit Mayor David Bing unveiled a $1 million Green Grocer Project earlier this week.

Fresh Direct is expanding to Connecticut.


Good signs: NYC Unemployment drops four months straight [Crain's]


Thanks a bunch and enjoy your weekend, be sure to check out www.1union1voice.com for the 2010 contract updates! 

John Mackey on Healthcare, Friday Morning Read...

Image by JOE M500 via Flickr

Catsimatidis says in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle that the Myrtle Avenue development will be built, but depend mainly on the economy.

Former Tesco manager vows to take on Whole Foods.

ABC News reports that after John Mackey's Op-Ed in the Wall-Street Journal regarding Healthcare, more and more customers are vowing not to patronize their once favorite company and threatening a boycott.

The L.A. Times thinks Whole Foods is in a whole lot of trouble because of Mackey.

Must Read:
Produce Truck encourages Healthy Eating in Detroit: In a neighborhood served by 26 liquor stores but only one grocery, a community group is peddling fresh fruits and vegetables like ice cream.

Update on Wal-Mart's attempts to build a store on a Civil War battle field.

The price of sugar continues to increase, putting the US and food makers on alert.

Queens Crap: The end of Amish Market.

Boston pushes for paid sick days.

Long Island Immigrants are fighting for unpaid wages.