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Market Basket Workers Fired As Employees Rally For Ousted CEO

CHELSEA (CBS) - Ana Keohane's Sunday shopping trip to Market Basket didn't go quite the way she planned.

When she got inside, she discovered many of the shelves were bare or just about empty. Some basic items tough to find.

"I was looking for fruits vegetables. Couldn't find anything and they say there are many other things they won't have until it's resolved," Keohane said.

The short supplies are the result of a job action by Market Basket workers angry over the ouster of popular CEO Arthur T. DeMoulas.

Empty Shelves
Market Basket in Chelsea had empty shelves on Sunday as workers rallied outside the store.

Those workers rallied on Friday and now there's word that at least eight long-time employees have been fired, including one who spoke with WBZ during the rally.

"If this is a poker game, we pushed the chips into the middle of the table and went all in," said former Market Basket employee Steve Paulenka.

At least one politician joined the workers in their efforts.

"We would be here on a Sunday shopping but we're not going to be doing that anymore," said
State Sen. Sal DiDomenico.

DeMoulas, in a statement released Sunday night, said, "Market Basket management confirmed that certain individuals are no longer with the company as of today. Their actions continued to harm the company, negatively impacted customers, and inhibited associates' ability to perform their jobs."

As shoppers continue to deal with short supplies, workers actually put up notes apologizing for the impact of their firm stand.

Workers plan to rally again on Monday morning at the Tewksbury store.

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