Market Basket Protesters To Hold Final Rally Friday
BOSTON (CBS) – Market Basket protesters plan to hold their final rally on Friday in Tewksbury, according to group organizers.
In a post on the "Save Market Basket" Facebook page late Wednesday morning, the "Grand Finale" as they called it, will be held at 9 a.m. Friday at the store on Main Street in Tewksbury.
They wrote they hope the event "will put the finishing touch on our week of protest and celebrate who and what we are."
"We are in the midst of what will most likely be the biggest and most important cause any of us will ever be a part of. The eyes of... the nation are on us," the post stated.
Thousands of employees have been rallying at stores since July 18 for the reinstatement of fired CEO Arthur T. Demoulas.
Demoulas was fired in June by a board controlled by his cousin, Arthur S. Demoulas. Both are grandsons of Market Basket's founder and their feud dates back decades.
Warehouse deliveries to Market Basket stores have stopped during the protests and there's no word yet when store shelves will be re-stocked.
"Our fight has been joined by tens of thousands. Associates, vendors, media, politicians and most importantly, our customers. We call on our customers to join us Friday and make this rally yours. Your participation in supporting us by boycotting Market Basket until this is seen through is the single most powerful weapon we have," the post stated.
"We ask that you continue to shop elsewhere and let your voices be heard."
"We fervently hope that Friday, when the Board meets at 4pm in the Prudential Center in Boston, our revolution ends with the proper resolution. They can put an end to all of this with a simple vote to do what is right: return Arthur T. Demoulas to his role of President and CEO."
There has been no comment yet from Market Basket officials on the group's announcement.
In their first statement on the protests released Tuesday, co-CEOs Felicia Thornton and Jim Gooch defended the firing of eight longtime workers who took part in the protests.
Some Massachusetts legislators have called for a boycott of the company, led by state Sen. Barry Finegold, who represents the district in which Tewksbury headquarters are located.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Doug Cope reports from Tilton, NH
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