Local Arizona grocery store to offer health care insurance for baggers

[Catshrink]

According to an article in the Arizona Republic (Repulsive) this morning, Basha's -- a locally owned -- grocery chain has started to offer health benefits to baggers, a group of employees that has been excluded in the past. They said that many baggers are kids who are covered under their parents' insurance, but some aren't.

One guy said he can cover his wife for $23 a week which is cheaper than he was paying for her medicare supplemental. The drug benefit decreased her monthly med expense from $150-200 to $20-40.

I'll be shopping at Basha's!

Link:
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/0403bashas03.html

[madaboutharry]

1. Basha's

ran an interesting commercial right after Bush invaded Iraq. "Right, left, or in the middle we can all come together on one thing: We all support the troops." I think it is owned by one family.

[Catshrink]

2. Yep... Eddie Basha.

There's a new high school in Chandler named after him. He's very active in community events and I think he's a big dem contributor. I'd rather shop at "Eddie's" than any other big supermarket. It's usually Basha's and Trader Joe's.


Eddie's been big in educational causes. I did a quick search and found this at TomPaine.com:

"I met a gentleman in Phoenix, Eddie Basha - a big grocer of proud, Lebanese descent. He was speaking at a neighborhood meeting, and I was told about him later. In the early 1950s, Eddie was on a high school football team in an Arizona farming town. A local restaurant owner promised the team a steak dinner if they would win the big game. They did, and the team showed up to claim their dinner. One of their team members was black. The restaurant owner said he could not serve him. Eddie, knowing nothing yet of the simmering Civil Rights Movement, but knowing plenty about fairness, told the restaurant owner that he was being unfair. Eddie organized a boycott of the restaurant until the owner finally agreed to serve everyone of every color. The other restaurants in town soon followed, not wanting to see those linebackers and eloquent Eddie on their sidewalk next."

http://www.tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/2788/view/print

Yeah, he's a good guy!

[Zomby Woof]

3. good on Basha's

The only one here in Flag is on the other end of town, so I rarely go there. I may reconsider now.

I miss Trader Joe's! I used to live a mile from one in Seattle. Love the hippie food. :-)

[Astarho]

4. Eddie Basha's been a vocal Dem

for many years now. He ran for governer a few years ago. Arizonans in their infinate wisdom chose Fife Symington instead :eyes:

[Catshrink]

5. I wasn't here then...

Good old Fife. Didn't he go to culinary school after he got out of jail?

[Zomby Woof]

6. AZ's governors

I notice they run the pendulum. Evan Mecham on one end (he made national headlines for his gaffes, especially the racist remarks), and Bruce Babbitt on the other. Fife on one end - Janet Napolitano on the other. True that the Dems aren't extremely liberal, but for AZ, pretty damn close.

[ThoughtCriminal]

7. Just one problem

I'm not sure if this includes part timers. Some Basha's employees I've met have trouble getting enough hours for benefits. But it is a nice step.

[Catshrink]

8. They need to work at least 20 hours a week to qualify

Many companies don't give benefits at that level of employment -- it needs to be at least 32 hours.