Our UFCW brother Brian Petronella, the longtime president of the Westport-based UFCW, Local 371 and a leading figure in Connecticut labor and politics died suddenly Friday night. For more information please head to www.ufcw371.org. This is a tragic loss for the UFCW, and Brian will be missed dearly.
Last week, the U.S. Senate passed a funding measure that includes a six-month extension of the enhanced federal funding level for state Medicaid programs. The measure passed last Thursday by a vote of 61-39. More @
Supermarket News.
The FTC
has ordered Tops to sell seven of their newly acquired Penn Traffic stores.
Action Alert: Tell Mott's:
Get the scabs out of your apple sauce!
Crain's: While A&P sinks, rivals salivate.
The financial free fall of The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co.—owner of A&P, The Food Emporium, Pathmark, Waldbaum's and other chains—has its local rivals salivating. “We are just observing right now,” insists billionaire John Catsimatidis, who owns the Gristedes chain....
In related news
Forbes reported last week that Barnes & Noble may be up for sale;
Billionaire Ron Burkle, who increased his ownership stake in Barnes & Noble last year to about 18 percent, has been battling with Riggio over changes he wants to see made to corporate governance in order to boost value. Burkle has said he isn't interested in a takeover but expects to propose a slate of three new directors at the next annual meeting, scheduled to be held by Sept. 30. Barnes & Noble officials have been concerned about an alliance between Burkle and Aletheia Research & Management Inc.,
More @
Gawker.
Please join Wake Up Walmart and the National Labor Committee in
calling on Walmart to support a 35 cent per hour minimum wage for garment workers in Bangladesh.
WSJ: Changes in Flushing Set Off Food Fight:
The recent closure of a Key Food in Flushing was the last straw for many longtime residents, who say they feel ignored and isolated. Now, they are asking the new Asian market in the area to cater to them, too.
More @ the
Gothamist.
The CCE (Citizens Campaign for the Environment) released their first
Long Island Grocery Report on store's reusable bag policies. The “
B.Y.O.B (Bring Your Own Bag): Reusable Bag Policies at Long Island Grocery Stores” report, was done bye CCE staff who analyzed and evaluated reusable bag policies of fourteen Long Island grocery store chains. Check out the release and how your supermarket faired in the report
here.
Gristedes in Pelham Manor to Close:
The Pelham Weekly reports that the store will close as soon as possible and even though Grocer John's is closing, Gristedes presence in Pelham Manor may not have come to an official end:“We were trying different experiments in hope of coming up with the correct formula,” said Mr. Catsimatidis. “And we may try and give it one more shot.”
B-Net: Target Focuses on Food, Not Fashion in East Harlem.
The new King Kullen in Island Park is
moving forward...
