Wednesday Morning One Liners...

A Bay Ridge supermarket will shut its doors in June - and most likely reopen as - what else? - a chain drugstore.

Here's the April 1st article on the Bay Ridge Supermarket.

The city is losing $1 billion in sales each year to the suburbs because of a shortage of supermarkets, according to city planners.

With food prices rising nationwide, fruits and vegetables are fast becoming a cheaper alternative to pricy meats and dairy products for Brooklynites

Political

3 vie for Recchia's Seat

RECORDS show that City Councilwoman Maria Baez (D-Bronx) withdrew $668.35 from her "Baez for the Future" fund to pay for 13 gas purchases between July 21 and Dec. 4.

A City Council member who represents parts of the Bronx, Maria Baez, gave $7,500 in discretionary council funds this year to a tenants association in her district that residents say doesn't exist, the New York Post reported yesterday.

Friday Morning One Liners

For nearly 30 years, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. employed a video-production company here to capture footage of its top executives, sometimes in unguarded moments. Two years ago, the retailing giant stopped using the tiny company
.

The Neighborhood Retail Alliance writes on Local 1500's Building Blocks Project.

Elected officials held a pro-Willets Point redevelopment rally at City Hall this morning in a likely attempt to counter efforts in the City Council to oppose the multi-billion dollar, 61-acre project, at least as currently presented.

The New York Sun writes more on the Willets Point Rally.

The FTC is still pressing on with the Whole Foods and Wild Oats merger.

Workers say they are set to strike and shut down Bloomingdale's flagship Manhattan store for the first time in 43 years if contract negotiations are not resolved by Thursday.

Families are caught by spiking Grocery Prices.

A new estimate from the state Department of Labor puts the possible job cuts on Wall Street at nearly double the previous estimates. In an interview with Reuters, James Brown, a market analyst for the state agency, predicted that Wall Street would lay off a stunning 36,000 employees -- one fifth of its entire work force. That compares to the 20,000 that the city's Independent Budget Office predicted in March.

Politics

Here is Obama's speech, addressing the UFCW in Chicago this week.

And here is UFCW President Joe Hansen's statement regarding Obama's speech.

The Chicago Sun-Times writes on Obama's speech to the UFCW.

Obama received a lot of press for spending his day off with the UFCW.

Here is a chart of City Council members who hired relatives to do political work.

More and more articles regarding council members slushing funds to non profits. This one involves Seabrook.

The New York Sun asks 'Where is Gifford Miller?' amongst the current Budget scandal at the City council.

Los Angeles- Broadening efforts to create more higher-paying jobs, Los Angeles city officials put a new policy into place Wednesday that requires any project receiving funds from the Community Redevelopment Agency to agree to hire union workers.

Wal-Mart to establish a Human Rights Committee

Supermarket News reported this morning that shareholders of Wal-Mart Stores have proposed that the company establish a human rights committee.

Supermarket News covers Local 1500 Building Blocks Project

NYC Union Launches Supermarket Advocacy Campaign

NEW YORK — The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1500 on Tuesday applauded a recent study by the city’s planning commission showing detrimental public health and economic effects of a lack of supermarkets in certain city neighborhoods and unveiled a 14-point statement of policy suggestions designed to assist communities gain greater access to food stores. The policy suggestions encourage the preservation and development of supermarkets in low-income communities by making economic incentives available to food retailers to build and operate stores, and to discourage supermarkets from being evicted. The local is based in Queen’s Village in the borough of Queens.

Monday Morning One Liners

Kroger and its 10,000 cashiers, stock crews, meat cutters, deli helpers and other Louisville-area workers who belong to the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 227 overwhelmingly ratified a contract Tuesday that preserves an increasingly rare pension plan that is 100 percent funded by the grocery chain.

Wal-Mart pulled dozens of products containing BPA plastic in Canada, but has yet to pull them in the United States.

The Fresh Market has retained investment bank Goldman Sachs as the supermarket considers offers for outside investment. In a statement on Wednesday, The Fresh Market said it will evaluate several opportunities during the next several months. The company will continue to operate as it has.

Kroger stores are offering 'Free Groceries' through a gift program.

IGA here said yesterday it plans to hold its first U.S.-specific retailer meeting in more than a decade Nov. 6-8. Read more of this story

The Grocery Manufacturers Association issued a statement here last week relating that the proposals outlined in the discussion draft of the Food and Drug Administration Globalization Act of 2008 would likely increase food prices and impose unnecessary regulatory burdens.
Read more of this story

Around 53 workers, primarily software engineers, are to be laid off at Shaw’s Supermarkets in Mass., reports said last week.
Read more of this story

Developments

The city begins the approval process today for the massive redevelopments of Willets Point and Hunters Point South. The seven-month process entails gaining approval from the communities, the City Planning Commission and the City Council. Queens business owners and residents have raised concerns that the projects would displace businesses and drive up the cost of housing, as 60 percent of the residential units would be reserved for middle-income New Yorkers, and the rest would be sold at market rate. The process follows the recent controversial rezoning of 125th Street in Harlem.
More at: [Crain's]

The NYC unemployment rate, which has continued grow since last summer, rose 0.2% in March.

A monumental century-old power plant sitting on the Brooklyn waterfront and featuring a stout stone foundation and 4-story high arched windows with cream colored terra-cotta trim is being demolished brick by brick, upsetting local preservationists.

NY Post (Reuven Blau): $200M HEALTH-CARE CUTS EYED

The Bloomberg administration has taken its first step toward slashing health-care benefits for city workers by $200 million - a plan announced in the mayor's preliminary 2008 budget. During a meeting Thursday, Labor Commissioner James Hanley submitted a list of proposed changes to the Municipal Labor Committee, which bargains health-care rights for the city's more than 300,000 teachers, cops, firefighters and other workers. "This is the beginning of a process," Hanley told The Post. The mayor has argued that cutting the city's health-care obligations would help shore up projected budget gaps of $4.2 billion in 2010, $5.6 billion in 2011, and $5.3 billion in 2012.

Newsday (Dan Janison): L.I. SENATE WAR

Local sources tell Newsday's Rick Brand that Brookhaven Supervisor Brian Foley would be the state Democrats' top choice to challenge veteran Sen. Cesar Trunzo. …Senate Democrats were said to be testing Foley's name in polls. And Bob Master, state co-chair of the Working Families Party, which partners with Democrats in Senate races, has discussed it with Foley. Starting tomorrow, the party plans to target Trunzo and Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City) in an "issues" campaign, slamming the Senate GOP on paid family leave. Which Democrat will face Hannon, though, also remains hazy.