New York City Council Passes Plastic Bag Bill

The City Council here voted yesterday 44-2 to require supermarkets and drug stores to collect plastic bags for recycling. The legislation, which reports said was thus far unopposed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, applies to stores that use plastic bags and occupy 5,000 or more square feet or have more than five outlets in New York City, according to a statement from the City Council.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn said "You shouldn't walk around and have the city's flower be a plastic bag that's eternally blossoming in a tree. We want to end that time in our city,"

Supermarkets that belong to chains of more than five stores or that have more than 5,000 square feet will now have to:

* Place recycling bins in stores.

* Use plastic bags that are clearly marked as recyclable.

* Accept shoppers' bags from other stores, as well as shrink wrap and dry-cleaning bags.

Some 2,000 stores will be affected, and violators are subject to fines of $300 daily.

Stores would be required to provide collection bins and would have to use plastic bags printed with the words “Please return this bag to a participating store for recycling” or a similar message. They would also have to offer reusable bags for sale to shoppers. The stores will also be required to submit annual reports to the Department of Sanitation on the amount and weight of collected plastic bags.

Brooklyn Stop & Shop to promote healthy eating, Wal-Mart steals tax money, more...

Here's a couple of top stories today...

A Brooklyn Stop & Shop stores are encouraging customers to keep their New Years Resolutions by offering a 'Road Map' for healthy eating in 2008.

A North Carolina judge has ruled against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in a $33.5 million tax dispute with state revenue officials over how the retailer calculated taxes for its stores there.

Albertsons in Arizona has announced they are closing 4 more struggling stores

Jimmy Tide 08

Supermarket News covers Fresh Direct...More

Supermarket News reports today that Fresh Direct expects a slow January. After eliminating and intimidating almost half of their workforce.

FreshDirect is likely to slow service through the end of January, the online grocery retailer said. “It has been challenging for us to keep up with January demand in the past, and this January we're going to have a harder time meeting your food needs than we usually do,” Steve Michaelson, chief executive officer of FreshDirect, said in an email to customers this week acknowledging that available delivery time slots have sold out quickly.

Supermarket News also reported today that Pathmark is "suing a buyer who backed out of an $87 million offer to buy a Pathmark store lease in lower Manhattan"

The Aftermath of I.C.E. in Fresh Direct

www.ufcw1500.org

After December's ICE raid on Fresh Direct 100-300 workers (grossly Hispanic) have been suspended, and now many of them have been intimidated to quit their jobs. In an massively under promoted horrific story, almost 300 workers have been without jobs over the holidays and now most suspended workers have been coerced to quit their jobs. Yesterday elected officials spoke out against the raid and the intimidation tactics that companies continue to use on helpless workers that help make this city what it is. This time it was workers who help bring thousands and thousands of New Yorkers food to their footsteps. The tactics of Fresh Direct are inhumane and disgusting, at the midst of an Union election the I.C.E. coincidentally raided Fresh Direct headquarters resulting in a suspension of up to 300 workers who could not provide their required residency status papers. This was a blatant violation.

"NLRB election was announced in November, but on November 30, ICE informed Fresh Direct that it would soon start its audit. This violated the ICE policy of refraining from audits during a labor dispute," Thompson and Velazquez said. .

Please read the Queens Gazette's article regarding the ongoing problems at Fresh Direct

Happy New Year

We wish you all a happy and healthy 2008!