How much for Milk? & Friday 11 AM One Liners...

A survey of 50 sellers showed that 86% overcharged for milk, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said.

Here's a more interactive report on the Milk study by Eyewitness News.

& Here's AM New York's take.

Daily News Pols sour on high milk costs

Representatives of Local 359 of the United Food and Commercial Workers union visited Montauk on Thursday to urge commercial fishermen facing $5-per-gallon fuel prices and ever-more-restrictive regulations, to join. The meeting has generated considerable interest.

Balducci's is welcoming the Chilean ambassador on Saturday in MD.

(Bloomberg) -- Royal Ahold NV, the owner of Albert Heijn and Stop & Shop supermarkets, said first-quarter profit gained 8.9 percent and raised its full-year operating margin target after selling a Dutch chain.

Councilman Hiram Monserrate officially announced his second bid for state Sen. John Sabini’s seat on Monday, surrounded by local supporters....

While the Bloomberg administration pushes its Willets Point redevelopment plan by attempting to acquire businesses in the gritty industrial zone, it also has begun touting efforts to retrain workers who may soon lose their jobs.

Politics (Courtesy of the NY Observer)

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama had a secret meeting last night.

John Edwards does not want to be V.P. again.

Republicans created a web site called ClintonsforMcCain.

In another push against the 100-years-in-Iraq criticisms to come, John McCain just put out a new TV ad in which he says, "I hate war, and I know how terrible its costs are."

Mike Allen reports that the spot will get a "significant buy" in swing states, and also that the campaign plans to release more details later today.

Enjoy your hot weekend...

Obama backs UFCW in Tesco fight....Thursday One Liners

A UFCW spokesman said the union was likely to have "quite a few conversations" with Mr Obama over the coming months about continuing to apply pressure on Tesco.

US union has Barack Obama aid in Tesco fight

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/06/05/cntesco105.xml

An American union has stepped up its campaign against Tesco, releasing a dossier that includes the backing of Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee.

	Barack Obama wrote to Tim Mason [right], Fresh & Easy's chief executive

The 1.3m-member United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW) yesterday launched a 46-page report, The Two Faces of Tesco, to highlight alleged differences in pay, conditions and union recognition between Tesco employees in the UK and the US.

In his letter, Mr Obama said: "Supermarkets play a critical role in America's cities and neighbourhoods as employers, purchasers of local products and anchors for economic development. A recent Occidental College report raises concerns about Tesco's record in these areas."

His Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, also wrote to Sir Terry Leahy, Tesco's chief executive, last November, pointing out that Tesco's non-recognition of union members in the US was all the stranger given its close relationship with USDAW, the UK shopworkers' union.

Tesco rebuffed the tone and content of the report. "The UFCW do not reflect the views of Fresh & Easy staff who are overwhelmingly in favour of the pay and benefits they receive," Tesco said in a statement. It added: "We strongly believe that union membership is a matter of individual choice and if our people want to join a union then they can and will. "

Here's more on the story: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/retailing/article4069795.ece

Here's the UFCW Press Release

Supermarket News covered it today as well.

The UFCW report on Tesco has received a lot of press in England.

Here's another story.

A&P announced it settled in cash totaling $45.7 million, the 4,657,378 Series A Warrants, issued in connection with the acquisition of Pathmark.

Trader Joe's & Target were lauded for business ethics.

Balducci's is celebrating South America.

Andy Stern, the president of the Service Employees International Union, went into its convention under heavy fire from one of its largest locals, but he emerged stronger — overwhelmingly re-elected for another four years and with his power consolidated.

Michael Barbaro writes on Wal-Mart today.

And The Triborough Bridge will soon be the "RFK Bridge" named after the late Robert Kennedy.

Tuesday Morning One Liners...

D'Agostino Supermarkets President and Chief Operating Officer Nicholas D'Agostino III was recently named chairman of the Food Industry Alliance of New York State here.
Read more of this story

Aldi here on Monday opened the doors to a store in East Syracuse, N.Y., that showcases the chain’s new marketing and environmental approaches, a report said yesterday.
Read more of this story

A State Supreme Court judge in Suffolk Monday invalidated a controversial worker status law that required Suffolk County's 17,000 licensed contractors to prove their employees are not undocumented immigrants.

Talk Bronx, has covered the loss of the supermarket throughout NYC.

Here's more on the UAW withdrawing at Foxwoods.

Dayton, Ohio: As part of its “Eat Local” promotion, Dorothy Lane Market has launched a monthly local food “challenge” and gift card giveaway.
Read more of this story

Politics and What not...

John Tasini comments on SEIU's "Call Centers"

New York State's excise tax on cigarettes becomes the highest in the nation today, when it increases by $1.25 a pack - to $2.75....City Smokers Prepare for New State Tax

The Republican presence in the City Council could be whittled down to two members as voters go to the polls today in Queens to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Council Member Dennis Gallagher

Starrett City residents were assured their rents would stay 'affordable' yesterday

Making Food Deserts Bloom in NY, A Community Food Security Agenda for NYS

On Friday June 6, from 10 to 1:15 PM, Hunger Action will also host Making Food Deserts Bloom in NY, A Community Food Security Agenda for NYS. It will take place in the Senate Minority Conference Room #315 in the State Capitol in Albany.

The conference ties into the work of the Governor’s Food Policy Council, which was established last year to better coordinate work among state agencies to increase access to affordable, nutritional food for all New Yorkers while supporting a sustainable agriculture system for our state (e.g., issues such as food processing, transportation, support for family farms).

The Commissioner of the New York State Department of Agriculture, Patrick Hooker, is Chair of the Food Policy Council. He will participate in a roundtable discussion at the conference along with Julie Suarez, Director of Public Policy, NY Farm Bureau; Fern Gale Estrow, a nutritionist who is chair of the Food Systems Network NYC; and, Prof.

Tom Forster, a policy advisor to the national Community Food Security Coalition.

The conference will also feature workshops on innovative approaches to bringing fruits and vegetables into low-income communities and strategies to improve the nutritional impact of federal nutrition programs.

Many state agencies and advocacy organizations are interested in how we can bring more supermarkets and other sources of fruits and vegetables into low-income communities. Too often such neighborhoods only have fast food outlets, forcing residents to travel long distances to obtain more nutritious food.

The conference is free but there is limited space, so pre-registration is encouraged. You can contact Mark Dunlea at Hunger Action Network of NYS for more information. 275 State St., Albany NY 12210. 518 434-7371 xt 1#, www.hungeractionnys.org, info@hungeractionnys.org.

The conference is co-sponsored by Just Food, NYS Assembly Task Force on Food Farm and Nutrition Policy, Food Systems Network NYC, Honest Weight Food Co-op, United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 1500, NYS Small Scale Food Processing Association

Monday Morning One Liners

Veteran labor leaders representing 100,000 workers in Colorado have joined forces to fight right-to-work ballot measure.

The American Lung Association recently presented Wegmans Food Markets here with the Lung Champion Award in recognition of its decision to halt the sale of tobacco products.
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Nearly 40 workers at Foxwoods Resort Casino's race book have voted against joining the United Auto Workers union.

The smallest Whole Foods store in the company’s development pipeline -- only 16,790 square feet -- will apparently replace one of the two remaining Bell Markets stores in San Francisco.
Read more of this story

Albor Ruiz of the NY Daily News writes 'The plan to save our dying supermarkets'.

The first location of Pathmark’s new “price impact” format opened Friday in Irvington, N.J.

The Senate will likely re-vote on the full 2007 Farm Bill this week, Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin's office told congressional newspaper The Hill on Friday.
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Council Member Simcha Felder will challenge state Senator Kevin Parker for his seat.

The SEIU is voting to have members use '24-hour call centers', rather than handle grievances with a union delegate one on one.

In the past year, 22,000 New Yorkers who work on Wall Street have lost their jobs, according to a Crain’s estimate. And far more blood-letting is to come.