Market Basket to hold job fairs By Douglas Moser Jul 31, 2014 12:16 AM Market Basket began advertising a job fair for store managers and assistant managers in a direct shot at the current managers who signed petitions Monday threatening to resign if former CEO Arthur T. Demoulas is not rehired. The ad, which will appear in The Eagle-Tribune on Thursday, promotes a three-day job fair in Andover starting Monday and represents another escalation in what is quickly becoming a game of brinkmanship. The company suggested in a statement released Wednesday afternoon that employees who are not back to work by Monday will be fired. Protesting employees called the ad and proposed job fair a scare tactic. We want Market Basket associates back to work and reiterate that they can return without fear of penalty, the company said in a statement. We again acknowledge and understand how difficult this situation has been for associates. However, we also need to have associates working to support stores, customers and vendors. We need associates to return to work on Monday, August 4th. Employees in the corporate office and from the 71-stores have been protesting Demoulas firing, though store managers said they and their employees have been reporting to work. We keep essentials inside and option the others outside, said Joe Amaral, manager of the North Andover Market Basket. Store managers have been on the job, too, though many have spent some vacation time over the last two weeks. The warehouse staff and the companys drivers, however, have stopped working since July 18. An outside company was hired to fill in, though at only a fraction of the regular compliment of people. Protesting employees set up a fund, soliciting from other Market Basket employees, to help the warehouse workers and drivers. They had raised nearly $50,000 as of Wednesday evening. The job advertisement did not mention warehouse or driving positions. Non-management personnel may be covered by federal labor laws protecting workers who are acting a concerted effort to improve pay and working conditions no matter whether they are unionized, according to the National Labor Relations Board. Management is not covered.None of the estimated 25,000 employees are union. Replacing all 71 store managers and the many assistant managers who signed the petition, along with more than 550 warehouse employees, would mean a disruptive turnover of more than 700 employees. The company pointedly said in its statement that another round of job advertising could be in the wings. We understand that some associates may choose not to return, consequently we will begin advertising for employment opportunities, the statement said. Our hope and strong preference is to have Market Baskets incredible associates return to work. Again, any associate that wants to return will be welcomed and not penalized. Amaral said a wholesale replacement of the store managers and assistant managers would take at least two months for training. Good luck to them, he said. I dont know how theyre going to hire people who dont know what theyre doing. Tom Trainor, a grocery supervisor who was among eight executives fired July 20 for their role in fomenting the employee revolt and warehouse shutdown, dismissed it as a scare tactic. Its a desperation move on their part, he said. Do you think youre going to replace that kind of experience? You’re talking thousands of years of experience will go down the drain. A company spokesman said that no one is being fired at this time, but the company expects some store directors may choose not to come back, so there may be need. Theyd rather have experienced and committed associates return than hire and train new employees, he said. First preference for transferring to new positions or seeking promotion will be given to existing associates, as has been company tradition. The job fair is scheduled for Monday through Wednesday in the computer center at the Market Basket warehouse on Ballardvale Street in Andover, according to the ad. The company said it is hiring for store directors, assistant directors, accountants, accounts payable/receivable, grocery buyers and perishable buyers. Current Market Basket associates will be given preference to apply first, on Monday and Tuesday. Other applicants can apply Wednesday. Demoulas last week offered to buy the 50.5 percent of the embattled company his side of the family does not own from his cousins family for an undisclosed amount. The board of directors, which is controlled by Demoulas rival and cousin Arthur S. Demoulas, said in a statement Tuesday it is considering multiple offers for the company, though some insiders have said Arthur T.s proposal is the only one the shareholders, all of whom are Demoulas family members, are seriously considering. Employees began protesting for Arthur T.s reinstatement July 18 as the warehouses shut down and the drivers stopped delivering perishables to the stores. Shelves went bare over that weekend, and eight senior employees, including Trainor, were fired July 20. Rallies followed on July 21 and July 25 as a boycott sapped some stores of up to 90 percent of their business. The board of directors met Friday and Monday in Boston to consider offers. Business and industry experts have suggested that the recent turmoil in the company may have scared off other potential buyers. Follow Douglas Moser on Twitter @EagleEyeMoser. To comment on stories and see what others are saying, log on to eagletribune.
Posted on: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 09:09:53 +0000
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