Gov. Patrick Calls on Market Basket Workers to Return. Audio included

[graywarrior]

(snip)

Patrick also said price is not at issue in a potential deal, but that financing terms might be, echoing previous statements from both sides of the Demoulas family.


http://www.boston.com/business/news/2014/08/13/patrick-calls-market-basket-workers-return-jobs/7vDcCZ9zguegragG0pCvdJ/story.html

Patrick's wife, Diane Patrick is a co-managing partner and labor attorney for Artie S side of family. Workers are still refusing to go back to work til a deal has been made and Artie T is in full charge.

[steve2470]

1. so, is this a good thing he's asking for, long term ?

A good deal might be in the offing ?

[Agschmid]

2. Mixed messages it seems.

The workers may return but will the customers?

[graywarrior]

3. I guess that depends on the reasons why the workers return

New England News is reporting that both sides are close to a deal. Gov. Patrick is being trashed on the Save Market Basket site. Seems as though he's taken the side of the corporation. Good thing he's not running for re-election.

[Downwinder]

4. The customer action is spreading to other businesses owned

by the ASD side.

[graywarrior]

5. STATEMENT OF THE INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS OF THE DEMOULAS BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

WE AGREE WITH GOVERNOR PATRICK: IT’S TIME TO GET BACK TO WORK

The Independent Directors of the Demoulas Board today issued the following statement:
“We have now gone five days since we offered a solution that would return everyone back to work to support the Company including the former management team. To date, we still have not received a response.

Today, we applaud Governor Patrick’s statement encouraging all Associates to return to work as soon as possible. We, as Independent Board members, cannot force any shareholders to buy or to sell, nor can we control the timing of their decisions. All we seek is to get our Associates back to work earning a steady income so our customers can go back to shopping. In return, we can’t offer a resolution to the deal negotiations, but have and will continue to offer a way to return to normal while negotiations continue. Playing with fire that will hurt us all – Associates, customers, and communities – is a no-win situation, and we all need it to end.

It’s well past the time when anyone can frame the crisis as “us vs. them,” or a “family feud.” There are too many families being impacted by this. Rather, for good or ill, many are being asked to sacrifice their pay, their jobs, and their ability to shop at affordable prices in their own neighborhoods, against the hope that it will help one side achieve a preferred business deal rather than another. No one should ever hold 25,000 associates, 2 million shoppers and our local economies as leverage in a business negotiation.

It is time to get everyone back to work. It’s been five days since we last proposed a solution that would work toward getting everyone back and bring the crisis to an end. That’s five days too long, and now time is running out.”



I hate to say this, but Gov. Patrick probably should have stayed out of this.