Wednesday Morning One Liners...Local 1360 continues talks with Acme,

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Acme supermarket and UFCW Local 1360 make progress, but still no agreement.

 Supermarket News: Acme Markets here said it was making progress with union workers on a new contract, averting threat of an immediate strike.

Food Lion is still interested in Bi-Lo:
A spokeswoman for Food Lion here yesterday acknowledged that its agreement to buy the majority of Bi-Lo’s assets out of bankruptcy for $425 million was no longer valid, but said the chain remains “strongly interested” in acquiring some Bi-Lo assets.

Whole Foods is offering incentives to employees who are in good health, the Progressive Grocer reports that  Whole Foods team members will receive discounts of 20 percent to 30 percent on store items based on measurements of blood pressure, cholesterol levels, body-mass index, and whether they smoke.

The Atlantic Yards developer gets the OK to take the land.

Tuesday Morning One Liners...

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UFCW Local 1360 has reportedly reached an agreement with Acme late last night, averting a strike.

A 'Prevailing Wage bill' will be brought to the floor of the Pittsburgh City Council.

A&P's stock (GAP) has been on a complete surge lately, up 100% since September and investors continue to buy.

Pathmark signed a 20-year lease in Jersey for a 50,000 square foot store that will open by Thanksgiving 2010.

New York Tims: Price War Brews between Wal-Mart and Amazon.
In what is emerging as one of the main story lines of the 2009 post-recession shopping season, the two heavyweight retailers are waging an online price war that is spreading through product areas like books, movies, toys and electronics.

The Post Standard in Syracuse says"whoever buys Penn Traffic better be ready for a tough battle" The expansion of Walmart “superstores” and discounters like Aldi in the area makes it even harder for a new kid on the block to stay out of the red. So, too, does the overall decline in family income and population in the region.

This comes after Aldi announced another store opening in the Rochchester region.

The nation's leading meat processor and the country's largest union representing meatpacking and food processing workers (UFCW) have just completed the twentieth year of a workplace ergonomics program that is making meat processing jobs safer. [Press Release]

Whole Foods is disciplining their employees for Facebook posts.

NYC Food and Climate Summit, December 12, 2009, hosted by New York University, Just Food, and the President of the Borough of Manhattan.  Clean food is a right for all, and more and more, it’s an imperative for our planet. Check out more here.

The number of people seeking emergency food assistance in the city jumped 20.9% over last year, according to a new study from New York City Coalition Against Hunger.

NY Observer: Mom and Pop go to City Hall.
On Friday, Nov. 20, Councilman Robert Jackson was exasperated.  The Harlem Democrat had put in a call to the chair of the Council’s Small Business Committee, David Yassky, asking for a vote on the Small Business Survival Act, a bill of Mr. Jackson’s that would regulate commercial rents

The city also plans to re-zone the far west village.

Local 1360 talks resume with Acme, Monday Morning One Liners...

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Here's a first Grocery chains King Soopers and Safeway offered signing bonuses consisting of gift cards worth up to $1,000 to union workers in Colorado and Wyoming as part of contract proposals.


Local 1360 talks with Acme will resume today, after hitting a stand-still on Friday.

Penn Traffic Co. has sent letters to employees of P&C supermarkets warning of possible store closures. The earliest that could happen is Sunday, Feb. 15, 2010.
 
Wegmans Food Markets next month will open a stand-alone restaurant called the “Next Door Bar & Grill” across the street from its store on Monroe Avenue here, according to a report in the Brighton-Pittsford Post. 

Nearly two dozen eateries throughout Park Slope (Brooklyn), were found underpaying workers in the NY Department of Labor's random sweep of 23 restaurants throughout the area.  In some cases workers were making $2.75 an hour.

Marlene Lang of the Southtown Star thinks Wal-Mart got off easy in 'Black Friday death'.

Sources say Guiliani will seek a US Senate seat (Gillibrand), and if elected a white house run in 2012.

Another suit was filed last week to block the Atlantic Yards development in Brooklyn.

Democrats step up push for votes on Health Care.

New York City shed 15,600 jobs in October—including 12,800 private sector positions across a swath of industries—the worst one-month loss since December 2008, according to an analysis of state Department of Labor data.

Thursday News at Noon: BJ's Settles Wage and Hour Suit, Q3 number plummet, Suozzi down 553 votes

Industry
UFCW Local 1360 resumed talks with Acme this morning, as a threat of a walkout loomed.

UFCW Local 7 is waiting to vote on last proposals from King Soopers, Safeway.

Costco will not budge on their price dispute with Coca-Cola.

Target announced it plans to roll out their expanded grocery and perishables format, called p-fresh (which stands for 'Prototype-Fresh'), to 350 more discount stores in 2010 and ultimately to the majority of its base following encouraging sales results at the first 108 stores. P-fresh, or prototype-fresh, is a format that adds 90% of the food categories and approximately 60% of the SKU count available at the company’s Super Target stores...

From the sound of it Target employees are not thrilled about P-Fresh.
 
Tops opens first store since going '100% local'.  They plan on operating the company completely local.

BJ's Wholesale Club has some dissatisfying Q3 numbers.  BJ's and investors say the $11.7 Million Dollar wage and hour lawsuit which was settled contributes to these terrible Q3 numbers. 

Penn Traffic Co., based in Syracuse, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday, just four years after emerging from a previous bankruptcy filing

On Monday the Government Accountability Office said: work related injuries are underreported. 

Forbes: Unemployment, up again.

Ahold is announcing a new "cost-cutting program."


Pathmark announced that shoppers can now automatically link digital savings to their loyalty cards thanks to the Online Advantage program available at pathmark.com.

A&P was recognized for environmental stewardship.

The Food Industry applauds the Food Safety Bill. 

New York Times updates on Kingsbridge Armory. Meanwhile Mayor Bloomberg and city development officials remained dead set Tuesday against imposing a "living wage" mandate on the developer who plans to turn the white elephant Kingsbridge Armory into a $310 million shopping mall

Politics
Despite the Mayor's opposition, the NY City Council has passed the 5 minute grace period for parking on an expired meter.

Governor Patterson is readying legislation that would require developers to pay prevailing wages on many construction projects that receive public financing, meaning that construction workers would have to be paid significantly more than minimum wage.

Out in Brookhaven, Long Island, town officials are being urged to study the economic impact and overall impacts on projects throughout Eastport and East Moriches.

Democrats Ben Nelson (Nebraska), Mary Landrieu (Louisiana) and  Blanche Lincoln (Arkansas) may block the Health Care bill in the Senate.

Newsday updates the Suozzi v. Mangano Nassau County Executive election.  By count last night Souzzi, the incumbent trailed by 553 votes.

UFCW Local 99 Settles contract, Local 1360 authorizes strike, Local 7 gets 'best, final offer'...Monday Morning Read

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ShopRite puts specials on iPhone Application.

UFCW Local 99 averted a strike by coming to terms with Phoenix Supermarket Operators.

South Jersey UFCW Local 1360 had a strike authorization vote.

KYW News has more.

Meanwhile UFCW Local 7 will recieve Safeway's "last, best and final offer."

Last week Joe Sitt and NYC inked the Coney Island deal.

UFCW and Smithfield Foods launched a Feed the Hungry program in NYC last week.

King Kullen is accepting water bottles at all 52 of their stores for recycling at their redemption centers.

Lee Scott, former Wal-Mart CEO, joins a private equity firm.

Wal-Mart also announced they'll be restructuring their Asada ownership.

Meanwhile there are new Black Friday rules that retailers must oblige by.

Wal-Mart Stores here said they increased productivity and improved inventory management resulted in a better customer experience and contributed to improved financial results for the third quarter, which ended Oct. 31.

Target settled their expired baby formula lawsuit.

BJ's Wholesale Club executives to speak at Morgan Stanley Global and Retail Conference.

A study has found that just one in 10 union members is in manufacturing, while women account for more than 45 percent of the unionized work force. Read more from Steven Greenhouse, NY Times.

NY Times; Union Members becoming more educated.

The first Costco opened in NYC last week.

Trader Joe's leases property on sixth avenue.....The Real Deal has more on the move.

A&P family of supermarkets teams up with City and Island Harvest to feed the hungry.

WFP BLOG: For many ill with the flu, staying home isn't an option

Newsday: Sometime this morning, teams of lawyers for Thomas Suozzi and Edward Mangano will begin opening and counting more than 7,000 absentee ballots in the race for Nassau County executive.

Hillary Clinton says she is not planning on running for NY Governor. 

Lou Dobbs abruptly quits CNN.