Market Basket Employee Revolt Enters Fourth Week
BOSTON (CBS/AP) — The employee revolt at Market Basket entered its fourth week Monday, as workers and customers continued to picket outside company headquarters in Tewksbury.
The former CEO of the Market Basket supermarket chain who is attempting to regain control of the company from relatives says "onerous" terms are preventing him from buying a controlling share from those family members.
Arthur T. Demoulas said in a statement issued by a spokeswoman Sunday that his offers to buy the company "have been rejected, not on the basis of price, but with counterproposals that have been laden with onerous terms that are far beyond comparable transactions."
Demoulas was fired in June by a board controlled by his rival cousin, Arthur S. Demoulas.
The power struggle has led to walkouts by thousands of employees, and a boycott by customers, leading to a steep drop in sales at the chain with 71 stores in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.
Only a handful of supply trucks left Market Basket headquarters Monday as dozens of workers continued their protest.
"We know who to believe and not to believe. We can judge Artie by his actions over decades, so we know," fired grocery buyer Joe Garon told WBZ-TV Monday when asked about the developments over the weekend.
"We are waiting for Arthur T. to be back (as) president and CEO and when he is, we'll be back to work," fired grocery buyer Jim Lacourse told WBZ.
Lacourse said Arthur T. coming back in some other position is "not good enough."
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