Patrick urges Market Basket workers to return
Owners of Market Basket are nearing an “understanding” for the sale of the company, Gov. Deval Patrick said Wednesday, adding he thinks employees boycotting the grocery chain should go back to work to stabilize the company.
Patrick said he spoke with Arthur T. Demoulas, the ousted chief executive, and the chairman of the board Keith Cowan.
“My understanding is they either have an understanding or are very close to an agreement on price,” Patrick told reporters after signing an environmental bond bill Wednesday afternoon. “They are trying to work out some of the other terms.”
Patrick said there were still sticking points, but declined to elaborate on the conversations he had.
“There are two or three sides to every story, and there are two or three sides to this one as well,” he said. “You would think that after price there is not a whole lot that has to be worked out. But I think there are some financing terms, for example.”
The governor said the tone of the discussions has been very civil and respectful.
“Both the chair, who is an independent member of the board, and Mr. Demoulas, independently expressed their concern about what’s happening to the company and the people who work for it. And their hope that the company can be stabilized,” Patrick said.
Patrick has been reluctant to get involved in the dispute of a private company, but offered to mediate last Friday after sending a letter to the board. The board contacted him after he sent the letter, he said.
Patrick said he is concerned about the workers, and added, “They have it entirely within their power to stabilize the company by going back to work. And I hope they can see a way to do that while the buyer and seller work out the final terms of a transaction.”
A few weeks after former CEO Arthur T. Demoulas was voted out by the board of directors, employees loyal to him staged protests, demanding Arthur T. be reinstated. There is a longstanding feud between Arthur T. and his cousin Arthur S. Demoulas, who now controls the company. Warehouse drivers refused to make deliveries, and some store managers refused deliveries, leaving shelves largely empty. Customers have steered clear of the chain’s 75 stores – located mainly in northern Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Market Basket has seven stores in Central Massachusetts.
“Usually companies are able to buy and sell each other without workers walking off the job and saying they are not going to work unless they get the boss of their choice. Frankly, I think everybody involved is disappointed it has come to this,” Patrick said.
“Now having said that, I think it’s important for the workers to understand-- for the associates to understand-- that they can go right back to work,” Patrick added. “They would do a service to the people served by Market Basket, all the customers and the communities in which the shops operate, by doing so.”
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments