Friday Morning One Liners...King Soopers looks for replacement workers, Rite-Aid CEO gets a Raspberry

Rite-Aid workers give CEO Raspberry for union-busting.

Whole Foods drops new Hawaii store plan.

Shop Rite plans to close a store in Warminster, Pa., eliminating 50 jobs, according to a notice filed with the state.

Food Lion will double the number of its Bottom Dollar discount stores and push pricing at its flagship banner closer to that of Wal-Mart in 2010 as part of a "New Game Plan" announced Thursday by officials of its Belgium-based parent, Delhaize Group. Read more at Supermarket News.

In Denver, King Soopers is seeking replacement workers as a threat of a strike looms.

UFCW International union released a statement on White House Job Summit.

WakeupWalmart asks, "What happend to Walmart's sustainability index?"

Wal-Mart Stores Inc has agreed to pay $40 million to settle a 2001 class action lawsuit by current and former employees in the state of Massachusetts for wage and hour violations. More at the Boston Globe.

Utica news covers the meeting between workers from Penn Traffic and the union.

The UFCW is optimistic on finding a buyer for some of the Penn Traffic stores.

A new report finds a better outlook for NYC Economy.

Albany Times Union: New York's new public worker pension plan is being described as both landmark reform that will save taxpayers billions and the latest gift to powerful state employee unions.

The Senate voted yesterday to provide free mammograms to women, advisory panel says routine check-ups should begin at 40, rather than the proposed age of 50.

And apparently Montgoumery Burns (from the Simpsons) received 25 write in votes for NYC Mayor.

Local 1500's General Membership Meeting is Wednesday December 9, 2009, at the Inn at New Hyde Park.  For more information head here.  We're also holding a toy drive at the meeting, if you'd like to participate in the toy drive please bring an unwrapped toy to the meeting.

Local 1500 is also co-sponsoring the Good Food, Good Jobs coalition's celebration on FRESH, Monday, 7th, speakers will include New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, all are welcomed.

Monday Morning One Liners....Local 371 protests Fresh Market, more....

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

UFCW Local 371 is protesting a new Fresh Market.

Ray Venezia, a third-generation butcher and meat director for Fairway Market explains how to carve a turkey to FOX 5 here in NY. [video]

Police say a fire broke out in Wal-Mart's Christmas tree section outside their store in Westbury, Long Island.

Canada's top court has ruled in favor of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in a dispute over union organizing efforts at a store in Quebec. Read More: [Bloomberg], [Marketwire] [Investor]

AP: Year after Stampede, Black Friday gets a makeover.

Newsday says that Security outweighed customers at Walmart in Green Acres mall.

DA: Walmart, peaceful this year on Black Friday.

NY Times Blog: Trader Joe's confirms it is coming to the Upper East West Side.

Apple growers upstate NY are leaving more fruit on trees than usual.

UFCW Local 7 members have began voting on their final contract proposal from Safeway, King Soopers, City Market.

U.S. retail shoppers spent about $41.2 billion over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend, up slightly from $41.0 billion last year, according to the National Retail Federation

Delahize closes on a Greek banner.

Penn Traffic Co. has informed the New York State Department of Labor that it could shutter most of its stores on Feb. 15, although reports said the company is still hoping to find a buyer by that time.

Friday Morning One Liners...Teixeria joins movement for Employee Free Choice, Local 7 updates...

 "Now more than ever, we need a strong union movement to protect our jobs, our pensions, and our future. The Employee Free Choice Act simply guarantees a level playing field for all workers. It makes sure everyone plays by the same rules. That’s as important in the workplace as it is in baseball."

-  In a joint statement from Jimmy Rollins, Mark Teixeira, and 13 other MLB Players.

UFCW members rally at Fred Myer after the company called the police on union representatives.

UFCW Local 7

Supermarket News: More than a week after contract negotiations broke down again, union grocery employees of Safeway here are demanding that the United Food and Commercial Workers sanction a strike. But it was still unclear Thursday whether an OK was forthcoming.

The Colorado Gazette has more.

The Fresh Market on opening it's first Connecticut store, and first New York store (Troy) "...[We] hope the opening is a sign of continued growth in the Northeast."

Aldi announced two new store openings in Florida.

Current and former Wal-Mart employees in Ohio and 29 other states can now apply for a share of an $85 million lawsuit...Read more about the judges approval of the $85 million lawsuit.

Powering the NYC Economy with Good Grocery Jobs...

Costco has announced they will accept food stamps nationwide. 

Politics, Health Care, Elsewhere....

The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi of California, on Thursday unveiled an $1.055 trillion health care package that would provide insurance to up to 36 million people by broadly expanding Medicaid, the state-federal insurance program for the poor, and by offering subsidies to moderate-income Americans to buy insurance either from private carriers or a new government-run plan...The New York Times has more.

Newsday covers the Nassau County Executive debate between Suozzi and Mangano.

Living without heat in the Bronx, tenants put up signs outside of building asking for help.

More than 200 food vendors held a spirited noon rally on the steps of City Hall. They were protesting police harassment, a charge the NYPD denies.

New York's budget deficit continues to grow, this time $3.2B

And Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Mark Teixeira,  Heath Bell, Dave Bush, LaTroy Hawkins, Torii Hunter, John Lannan, Andrew Miller, J.J. Putz, Justin Verlander and Adam Wainwright have all added their names to the broad coalition to support the Employee Free Choice Act.

UFCW Local 7, Colorado Contract Updates,

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

UFCW Local 7's contract negotiations have been an enormous struggle, going on for several months now, here's the latest news today...Also be sure to support your fellow brothers and sisters in Colorado by heading to their Facebook page and pledging your solidarity!


King Soopers told its unionized employees Thursday it will likely lock them out should grocery workers represented by the same union strike Safeway stores.

More and more reports of a strike looming in Colorado.


Behind the latest breakdown in talks between workers and Safeway.

Paid Sick Days in NYC, Friday Morning One Liners..

Guillermo Barrera, plans to tell hundreds at a downtown rally on Thursday how he lost his job at a Brooklyn restaurant when he told his boss he needed to go to the hospital.

"She told me I was fired and she never wanted to see me again and I should never return," Barrera, 36, told the Daily News.


Barrera, 36, who worked as a cook at Tina's Place on Flushing Ave. in Bushwick, will be marching across the Brooklyn Bridge today to champion city legislation mandating employers provide workers with paid sick leave.
Read More in the Daily News.

Hundreds of members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 152  voted yesterday on a new four-year contract with Acme supermarkets.

UFCW Local 8 began to picket Fresh & Easy locations throughout California. Supermarket News has more.

Rockaways get a supermarket they've dreamed of, a new Stop & Shop will begin development by winter of this year.

UFCW Unveiled a study that showed Ohio spends roughly $68.5 million a year providing Wal-Mart employees with Medicaid, food stamps and 'welfare'.  You can read the entire report in PDF here.


Must Read: Washington Post: What Makes a Health Plan a 'Cadillac'?


The Villager writes on the possibilities of a 6th Avenue Trader Joe's.

A new report concludes that the NYS Liquor Authority is "fundamentally broken".

Marching for Paid Sick Days in NYC.  The Daily News has more on Paid Sick Days gaining momentum.

Forbes.com asks if Grocery stocks will continue to rise.

UFCW Local 7 Contract update: King Soopers workers will vote on a contract today, while Safeway workers have already voted down their latest contract proposal.

A San Fransisco mayoral candidate writes an open letter to John Mackey of Whole Foods, as they plan to open a new store in the San Fran area, quick excerpt from the letter:

Also, our Board of Supervisors has taken a stand in support of the Employee Free Choice Act pending in Congress.


In Noe Valley, these are important issues given the closure of Real Food for over six years because of an illegal attempt to deny employees the right to union representation.

I believe these issues speak to our values and concerns and I would hope that you might consider alternative views as you seek to expand your work in our great City.

Read the entire letter here at the San Francisco Gate.