Tuesday Morning One Liners...

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Supermarket News looks at Wal-Mart's neighborhood markets.

The Colorado state Senate is taking up a bill to allow locked-out workers to collect unemployment

The New York Times looks at how difficult it is to collect Workers Compensation in New York.

Local News station looks at the affect the Bottle Bill will have on Wegman's.

Restaurant workers rally for paid sick leave in Connecticut.

Times Union looks at wages, union and non-union in New York State.

NY Union Membership is down.

Rush Limbaugh tells NY to drop dead.

The aftermath of raids.

Ahold has filed court papers urging U.S. Bankruptcy Court here to deny a $100 million proposed financing package for Bi-Lo, offering its former division a $35 million loan instead. Ahold, which sold Bi-Lo to Lone Star Holdings in 2005 and remains a landlord for the retailer, said that GE Financial’s $100 million lending package would unfairly put lenders ahead of landlords with regard to collecting on pre-petition debts.

Although the majority of Americans feel that foods in supermarkets are safe, the percentage who feel this way has decreased over the last five years, according to The NPD Group here.
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A&P announced a partnership last week with Medtipster, a recently launched online service that allows consumers to find affordable equivalents to their prescription drugs, including $4 generic drugs and therapeutic alternatives.
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Ohio investigates Wal-Mart cutting 650 jobs, No wine in Supermarkets, Monday Morning One Liners...

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When Ohio gave Wal-Mart, the worlds largest retailer, a $1.8 million dollar job creation tax credit, they expected the jobs to be preserved. Friday, Wal-Mart announced they will be cutting 650 jobs, sparking the Ohio Dept. of Development to investigate if Wal-Mart reneged on their deal.

Albany: "No wine in grocery stores, beer taxes increase"

Howie Glickberg, "Out to conquer the New Jersey Market"

Gristedes has launched a new discount program.

Fresh & Easy launches 25 new wines.

Tom Suozzi signaled he’d run for governor again if David Paterson doesn’t seek re-election

The Times Union analyzes the budget.

What is in the new state budget?

Bloomberg opens campaign offices in 3 boroughs.

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• Tesco: 'Wal-Mart's Worst Nightmare' (businessweek.com)

Local 1500 Asks Governor Patterson to leave Bottle Bill out of the Budget

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[PDF Available here]
News from UFCW Local 1500

For more information contact: Patrick Purcell, 973-583-9651

Grocery Workers Union Ask Governor to Remove Bottle Bill from Budget Process

Union Members Ask Governor to Side with Workers Over Drugstores

QUEENS VILLAGE, NY (03/26/2009; 1714)(readMedia)-- United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500 is asking Governor David Patterson to side with working men and women who are employed in grocery stores and not the interest of corporate giants CVS and Walgreens. The Governor is supporting the passage of the Bigger Better Bottle Bill (BBBB) in the current State budget being negotiated. The law currently has minimal enforcement procedures, places an unfair economic burden on Supermarkets and gives a virtual free pass to companies like drug stores CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens who have no bottle redemption centers, a history of violating the current redemption law and are notorious for refusing bottles from consumers seeking to return them.

UFCW Local 1500 members are asking that the BBBB be removed from the budget process and put into the legislative arena.

"The $500.00 fine and minimal enforcement of the existing bottle bill has been hurting grocery workers for years while companies such as CVS and Rite Aid routinely thumb their nose at the law," said Patrick Purcell, Director of Special Projects for United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500, New York State's largest grocery workers Union. "As with any law, we should want the penalties to fit the crime and that there be compliance. That is not the case with existing law," Purcell explained. "Now the administration wants to expand the law and make those obeying it do even more," Purcell continued. "This bill continues to reward bad behavior and penalize good behavior. It is truly Bizzaro world legislation," Purcell stated. "We agree the Bottle Bill is bigger, but it clearly is not better."

"Our members are eager to support this Governor as he faces difficult decisions during an economic crisis. He is a good man seeking difficult answers. Still, our members are at loss for understanding why he refuses to hear them on this issue, especially when it is clear the members of the Senate and Assembly are eager to hammer out a fair bill and compromise during the rest of the legislative season," Purcell said. "We hope the Governor is hearing from his top environmental advisor the truth about the opposition to this bill."

"We are imploring the Governor to support open government, a fair legislative process, the spirit of compromise and to please remove the Bigger Better Bottle Bill from the budget. There are so many people utilizing the "my way or the highway" approach with the Governor during these budget talks, yet our members are simply seeking a fair compromise," Purcell concluded.

United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500, based out of Queens Village, represents over 23,000 grocery workers in New York City, Long Island, Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess Counties. Members of Local 1500 are employed by Pathmark, King Kullen, Stop and Shop, Shop Rite, Gristedes, Fairway, D'Agostino, Key Food, Dairy Barn and Shop Rite.

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Happy Friday Morning One Liners...

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A coalition of labor and community organizations accused drugstore giant CVS yesterday of stocking its San Diego County stores with over-the-counter medications and food that had expired.

UFCW 1657 will meet with prospective buyers of Bruno's Supermarkets who filed for chapter 11 last week.

UFCW Local 23's bargaining committee is set to begin negotiations with representatives of Kuhns Quality Foods on Friday, March 27th. It has been nearly two months since Kuhns first recognized the union workers at the Beulah Road location--the first one of Kuhns eight stores where workers enjoy a union voice in the workplace.

Grocery Union asks Governor Patterson to remove Bottle Bill from the Budget.

Workers at IGA stores in British Columbia this week authorized union leaders to call a strike as negotiations for a new contract continue.
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A&P finally introduces their 'Green Way' brand.

The membership of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1099 has voted to approve the merger of its union with UFCW Local 911, the final step in creating a new entity, Local 75, which will become effective April 1, union officials told SN Thursday.
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2,000 teachers' jobs are in jeopardy.

Newsday has more on job cuts in schools.

Economists Agree "Employee Free Choice is the solution", Thursday Morning One Liners...

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Another top economist agrees 'Employee Free Choice best solution for wage problems in America'

The city’s most vocal advocate for restaurant workers—Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York—will issue its third major report on the restaurant industry in New York City.

Next Tuesday the group will unveil the findings of a study entitled Discrimination in Manhattan’s Top Restaurants Deny People of Color and Women Equal Access to Employment Opportunities. Among the prominent New Yorkers who are attending the event are New York City Council members Rosie Mendez and John Liu, as well as Ed Ott, executive director of the New York City Central Labor Council.

Governor Corzine welcomes Fairway Market to New Jersey.

NJ jobless rate at a 16 year high, Fairway Market brings jobs.

UFCW Local 1099 pickets Rite Aid.

Wal-Mart takes aim at CVS & Rite Aid.

Wal-Mart Stores, is asking for an appeal over the largest gender discrimination suit in United States history.

Albany reaches deal on reforming the Rockerfeller Drug Laws.