Now you all know why prices are so high at Stop & Shop, if you didn't already. Nice company hiring workers just in case and consumers will pay for it. Every union is all about its members paying dues so the union fat cats can hold companies and the public hostage for a new and bigger contract, its called extortion. And when you check out they have the nerve to ask you to give a dollar for charity, can't wait for Market Basket!

Paul, I am so sorry you feel so offended by the poor cashier doing their job and asking for a donation. I get offended when people think that union members are demanding HUGE contracts,with ENORMOUS pay raises. Most are living paycheck to paycheck,paying their bills,feeding their families like everyone else. People have this warped image of ALL union workers living the high life. I am not asking for sympathy for the workers nor the union "fat cats", I would just like to see those that love to spew their angry words ,educate themselves on the subject matter before going off.

Maybe Massachusetts needs to join the 24 other Right-to-Work states in the country.

Actually...I find Stop and Shop prices to be alot better than Shaws. As far as Unions go...I still can't figure them out..especially non skilled unions. Electric, plumbing, ironworkers, teamsters, carpentry unions I can understand where peoples lives are at risk if the work is done improperly I can understand, but grocery workers unions I've always been skeptical about. The politics involved in Unions..well..we all know what that is all about.....Nevertheless, they still are a union and Union workers will not cross a picket line. Non union workers have the right to cross a picket line just because of the fact that a picket line need not be recognized by said non union workers. Thats the great thing about living here in the UAS. What right does a Union worker have to tell a non union worker what to do, how to act etc. to answer the question would I cross a picket line....of course, I'm a non union worker, it's my right to as a US Citizen, just as it's the Unions right to picket.....

"Thats the great thing about living here in the UAS." ok...let's try USA........UAS sounds like a 3 stooges country...lol

Who shops at Stop and Shop for the prices? Dare I say no one? I shop there because of the the convenience, cleanliness, pleasant workers, etc. I try to avoid shopping there on weekends because of all the fundraising activity.

So, if there is a strike and it affects the convenience, cleanliness, worker morale, and then I have to deal with picket lines, I will likely take my business elsewhere. And the bonus is that I will spend less.

I do not want to cross a picket line. The main benefit of being a union member is the safety of working conditions and workers rights. Without unions in many industries there would be unsafe working conditions. Many supermarket and other retail store companies only pay minimum wage to their cashiers and stock people. Without a union they would never be able to have breaks or a lunch. When it comes to meat and produce, I shop quality; for canned and dry goods I shop price. Overall, I do not find Stop & Shop more expensive than Shaws or Roche Bros.

I love stop and shop. I also think they are much cheaper with most of the items they sell than other stores in my area. I see somethings that they are playing around with the products that they sell but overall I am very pleased with Stop and Shop. You have to be a smart shopper to know if they are cheaper or not.

Stop & Shop is awful. I worked there for over 5 years. They pinch every penny and hire as few as possible. They also make no one full time because more part timers= pay $1.00 less an hour and the union gets more dues. It's a joke. Shop at Whole Foods where employees are treated right and paid well.

Stop and Shop produces a great product at a very reasonable price. It is unfortunate they are in dispute. Suggestion: Maybe make this a five-year contract? It seems like only yesterday (2010) we were going through this.

Whole Foods is no better in their pay. Every large chain grocery store is set at making sure their workers get as little as possible and the head honchos have mansions and yachts.

Stop and Shop is fighting back because margins in the supermarket industry are razor thin. Think about paying $2.50 for a can of soup, now think about everything from the farming of the ingredients, processing, canning, labeling, logistics, all the labor involved and paid for these processes and then resale for a profit.

This isn't about stop and shop big wigs being greedy, it's them having to raise pricing across the board

Does this have anything to do with obamacare

When it gets down to pure survival people will gladly work there whether people respect unions or not

Looks like I'll be shopping elsewhere....but where? Shaw's prices are higher and now that S+S has improved their produce section, I shop there. Whole Foods is beyond my budget and the president of Whole Foods called the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) "fascist." Regardless of how you feel about the ACA, that kind of language is uncalled for.
paul: we need more unions in other industries, too, to stick up for people who make minimum wage, or just beyond. Show me some evidence of your charge that union heads hang out with politicians. Unions are just trying to hang on these days, they are so under attack by the Right which wants to eliminate them so that groups like ALEC can reduce wages even lower.

hey gretchen, why aren't farmers unionized according to your calculus?

I don't see any parallels between the two?
If you want to look at anything look at the profits made by middlemen and the ongoing decline in the family farm. Meanwhile we have industrial scale meatpackers that give us "pink slime" treated with Ammonia and sold to schools. There is NO substitute for paying people fair wages. If we have to pay more, so be it.

Roache Bros!

Just love how the majority supports the company and not the workers. Do you really think the people in the wooden shoes care about the American workers ? So go ahead and support Ahold over people who are just trying to get by paycheck to paycheck. Completely understandable because you know they are union.

Of course I don't want to see that I've enjoyed union protection and benefits from prior jobs but their are people that are hungry with no job that will gladly take it

is it a race to the bottom for most workers?

I have a 61 year old women that has worked in both union & non union jobs over my 40 years of working. Believe me without unions you are at the mercy of corporations interested only in feeding the top members of it's staff. I am very much aware what year it is and have watched abuse at work stopped to it going right back into the direction pre union where your all scared to death to piss your company off. Wake up! They are already telling you who to vote for. Hello. Sometimes I'm glad I'm old because young people are like lambs to slaughter today. I feel sorry for you.

The margins are industry wide and have been so thin even before there were three supermarkets on the same corner.

Listen, no offense to workers at stop and shop but aren't there other positions/jobs/companies if you require higher wages? Compensation is based on skill level, job title etc. I don't see why there needs to be automatic or guaranteed raises ever negotiation when the job titles, skill level and duties remain the same.

It's a dangerous stance to take,, Stop and Shop could find 100% replacement employees for the wages benefits they are paying today.

All I know is Stop N Shop has high prices. If I'm doing a big shopping spree I go to Market Basket. I only go to Stop N Shop for convienence. I worked for Stop N Shop when I was in college years ago and I recall their union fees as high and not really sticking up for employees on many on the job daily issues. But again...this was years ago.

I am a member of AFSCME Council 94 as a state worker because I have to be. My hope is that either RI or MA wake up and vote for 'right to work' so manufacturing jobs return. I have never voted for a strike and will cross this picket line to continue shopping. If you have a job in this economy you should be happy and force your negotiating committee continue to talk. Strike does nothing but lose money for the workers.

Can you say wegmans

These workers will be better off if they're out of work for an extended period of time. They'll qualify for welfare, food stamps, rent assistance, heat assistance, free cell phone, free healthcare, all the while not having to pay taxes. Oh, the poor working stiffs, what we have to put up with. Aren't Obama and all the looney Democrats wonderful. Take away self respect and live off of others....the Democratic way. Don't worry, Mr. Patrick will make sure that all in the Leisure Class are taken care of...Tax the workers til they have nothing!!!

FC, I was waiting for you to show up with your propaganda. This time it's about how delightful it is to be from the working poor, with all the bennies that fall to the unemployed. And how we only have to blame Obama and the Democrats, then we can throw up our hands and do nothing.
FC we are talking about Stop and Shop workers, employed people who are part of a union. Can you address these hardworking people and their rights to a wage that might enable them to live with at least a little human dignity. Instead of launching the kind of griping we are so familiar with.

To be fair Dave Abbot, Ford was also the MOST HATED person during the Great Depression. He accused everyone of being lazy and that was the reason for the depression.

This is about union greed. Once again, the takers want everything. Once contract negotiations are completed and the union gets what they want, the consumers will be paying for it in the form of high prices at Stop and Shop.

PBS' award winning program American Experience is now running a program on Henry Ford. It's on this week. He was also an anti-Semite.

Could someone,anyone please tell me exactly what the workers are fighting for? Do you know ? Have any of you worked for S&S or Shaw's ?
Richard L. ...Do you know what those "greedy union takers" want ?
Heather...I also work 2 part time jobs ,1 union 1 not. The non union job pays almost double,however no benefits (vacation,personal day,sick time). I have been employed by the union one for 35 years (full and part time) and yes, I do appreciate my (oh so greedy) vacation,sick,and holiday pay. Sounds to me like you are extremely unhappy with your union job, so maybe you should step aside as so many are out of work and would happily fill your shoes. My nephew worked at Burger KIng for over a year and had to punch out for a 20 minute break. Surely a company as profitable as BK can afford to allow for paid breaks and a little extra compensation for working holidays.
Show of hands......how many would like to work on Easter,Thanksgiving,Christmas without any extra compensation ?

Paid breaks? Do you really expect companies to pay their employees for time they aren't working? That's about the worst business practice I've ever heard. Lets do some math.

BK has about 12,000 locations, say they have about 10 employees each and they each get a "paid 20 minute break" each day at an $8 an hour wage.

12,000 locations x 10 employees= 120,000
$8/3 = $2.65 per 20 min
$2.65 x 120,000 employees = $318,000
$318,000 x 365 = $116,070,000

So you expect a for profit company to give away $116 million dollars a year to employees on break for what reason?

Where are your statistics/studies/empirical evidence to back up any of what you just said?

I won't even attempt to debate Avon's theory. Much of it makes too much sense. However, this can be (and often is) accomplished without the expense of a union.

It's nice to just make claims (not opinions) produced from your own mind that encompass an entire industry with nothing to back them up with, lends alot of credibility to the argument.

I believe in "working" for what you earn, which is what I do. What an entitled U.S. notion it has become for people to expect to be paid to sit on their butt and eat or watch tv or smoke or nap or whatever.

Think about it logically for a second, you're getting paid to not work, makes zero sense to me and always will.

Most companies pay their employees half an hour of break time for every eight hours of work. Unions also restrict what each person can do rather than creating employees that are cross trained to do other work. Unions promote silly rules such as bread and snacks can't be shipped by the same truck. The federal and state governments now protect works basic rights, unions are obsolete and antiquated institutions that need to be done away with.

BH, do you want to return children to the mines and factories. Let's all go back to the1900s. That way we wouldn't need to pay so much money on education.

Let me ask another question. Do you want to eat at a restaurant chain that doesn't give its employees sick time? What if I tell you some of the ill employees have an infectious disease? Or make mistakes in food preparation and cooking? You can get mighty sick on salmonella and e-coli diseases. Or undercooked meat. Let's not be short sighted.

I never made any argument regarding sick days, health insurance etc. We pay for health insurance and illness is random and cannot be controlled. I don't see how they relate to an employer paying for someone to sit at a table for 30 minutes. You can't just say "part of an overall package" because I'm delving deeper than what it is, into how it does not make sense.

And regarding the early 1900's I was not alive back then but everything I've read, watched, learned in school/college, heard from my grandparents etc sounds like there was much more work ethic and many more hard workers back then, not people that expect to be paid for a break.

I probably take a ten minute break each day, somedays none. If my employer didn't want to pay for that I would be totally fine with that.

BH, it seems like you need a little education. Start with this. Note the years of laws passed. By the way it was the mill and mine owners who fought against these laws. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_labor_laws_in_the_United_States

oh but, Heather, I have. I did for years.

this quote is from Chris Hedges "On the minimum wage" from truthdig.org:

"If the federal minimum wage from 1968 were adjusted for inflation it would be $10.50. Instead, although costs and prices have risen sharply, the federal minimum wage remains stuck at $7.25 an hour. It is the lowest of the major industrial countries. Meanwhile, Mike Duke, the CEO of Walmart, makes $11,000 an hour. And he is not alone. These corporate chiefs make this much money because they have been able to keep in place a system by which workers are effectively disempowered, forced to work for substandard wages and denied the possibility through unions or the formal electoral systems of power to defend workers’ rights. This is why corporations lavish these CEOs with obscene salaries. These CEOs are the masters of plantations. And the moment workers rise up and demand justice is the moment the staggering inequality of wealth begins to be reversed."

I took today off, no pay and I do not get paid if I take breaks. Pretty easy to assume though eh?

And what do labor laws for kids under 12 have to do with stop and shop. I understand the law, I just disagree with it, get it? So there is no need to attempt to act more knowledgeable, it's my opinion.

BH
everyone else gets it. If we don't know some history, we're lost. There was a time when the majority thought it okay if many children worked from an early age. And that people worked 6 days a week.
In any case if we reduce the discussion to a squabble about work breaks, we're really off track and missing what could be a good discussion.

I got to say I do not support the union that stop n shop employees have they do not do anything for the employees not one thing I had to fight myself to get my son changed to a different store because of harassment at one store he worked at union did not do one thing

me:
That's just plain wrong of the union! Whatever side we all take here on the issues we need to support people who have been harassed like your son.
Is there any recourse you/your son with a complaint with the State against a union?? There must be some way to file a complaint about the union failure to act.

I am pretty sure Gretchen loves unions because of where most of the union dues are going to support. DEMOCRATS. plain and simple

I am so enjoying this lively banter. My MAIN POINT was asking who ,if anyone can answer what EXACTLY the workers were asking for ? I am NOT a union apologist, nor am I a company suck-up. We are all entitled to opinions. If you followed any of my comments you'd see that I am not complaining about anything in my life. Not my union job nor my non union job. I am sorry if I find it a tad unbelievable that so many people on here have NEVER gotten vacations,sick time or paid leave of any kind. Please do not ASSUME ALL union employees are lazy and worthless. I can assure you that nobody employeed in a supermarket that is union is living a life of luxury.And yes, I have a mortgage, pay my taxes and live fiscally responsible,and have for 35 years.
UHM Heather , I do have 1 question....you stated earlier you work 2 jobs,1 union 1 non. You'd like us to believe you receive NO UNION BENEFITS, but pay huge dues? Something smells a little fishy there. If your pants are on fire,better not call those "greedy,union extortionist firefighters.

okay, back to the present. It would help if posters here would google some recent articles. If only to give recent background. Not long ago Shaws went through a similar tactic of saying they'd hire replacement workers. It was scare tactics to increase pressure on workers to accept their offer. Legal of course but really, no way to treat people IMO.
Here's the first article I came on: ttp://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/03/08/stop__shop_strike_averted_as_unions_in_southern_new_england_accept_latest_offer/

I will immediately email the UFCW in regard to your complaints Heather just please tell me where you work. I AM a 35 year member of the UFCW so maybe I can help.
I never meant to offend you or anyone,but I do get frustrated with those who comment without knowing the facts. All I wanted was someone to tell me EXACTLY what the 2 sides were asking for and so far no one has answered that. I guess because it's so much easier to union bash.
Peace to all.

Don't tell them Heather, it's a setup. Heather has the guts to tell it like it is. If KMAC is sincere, they'd have the ability to find out on their own....

Gretchen I am thinking on my own - I am an independent - the union BS is the reason I have not voted democrat since Bill Clinton - it is a joke. This article does not effect me a little. Give people the option to belong to one or not. it is nice that you and KMAC can pull in on your white horses and save the day. get a grip. you are the fraud

GR: As a retired union member, as I've stated, I haven't seen an increase in my income from this pension since I retired. I work a PT job in a small business that is just getting by. I have not received a raise since 2006. I do not get any "bennies", no vacation, no sick days, no lunch, no break, no Time And One Half if I have to work extra, no holiday pay. I actually have turned down 2 raises because there are days we may not make payroll. I don't complain. See, like those of long ago, a job provided an "opportunity" to get ahead. Many people during the Depression valued jobs. They were thankful to have them. They were not Entitled to them. Often times they had to work long, tiring hours just to break even. Is that fair? Probably not. Its what they felt they had to do. Responsibility, not excuses were a big part of their lives. Today its the other way around. My dad was a member of the "Greatest Generation", he taught me a solid work ethic. I hold a Masters Degree plus credits above. Never was there a job I had where I felt it didn't provide me with the opportunity to achieve my goals. Often, during my professional career, I worked minimum wage jobs to get the "extras" my family needed. When my daughter went to college, I worked 7 days/week for 4 years to get her through (as did she), without taking loans. It was hard, not difficult. A job is an OPPORTUNITY to better oneself. USA has become "soft" as Mr President said 3 years ago.

This is a no brainer. Grocery store workers do not need a union. These are entry level jobs. If someone decides to make a career out of stocking shelves then so be it. Unions drive up costs. I hope MA signs onto the non union rights other states have adopted. As for protecting the workers. I am sure Stop and Shop has workmans comp if someone gets injured by one of those dangerous pricing guns. As for job security. NO ONE has real job security. Make yourself something society needs that takes training and skills. Thats how you get job security. I will still shop at S&S. i have no probelm crossing a picket line to get my milk since I have to fork over four bucks per gallon, union or not!!!!

Indiana, when you start calling names, you admit you've lost the argument.

To others, is our local newspaper covering this? Is cable access in Attleboro (AACS) covering this? Is NE Cable News covering this? The public is uninformed and why?? All I've seen is the help wanted ads for replacement workers. Where do we get information? Why the lack of coverage?
KMAC the union bashing is a national scandal. Look at Gov. Scott Walker in WI undoing decades of progress in support of workers. "Shame! Shame! Shame! said the Democratic state senators who were denied a voice and new laws (full of inequities) were passed. Corporations must be served in the US of A. Not the people.
I don't think Bunny Solomon who used to run Stop and Shop years ago (My husband met him and once worked there in Marketing, years ago). Since then money and greed and squeezing every penny is all that counts. Let S+S cut some of their advertising budget and their CEO's salary and pay humane wages.

There is no union at Wegmans. It is one of the top 10 companies to work for.

"We're all just posting comments on a goofy blog, there'sno guts or bravery involved here."

Sounds like every other thread here......there is never any "Guts or bravery" when you're sitting behind a computer screen...c'mon....

No GR you lost the argument - Only you can throw jabs and insult??? It os about the politics and you know it. Okay then let's got to a RTW state. Would you want that?

and when do we start up the Debtor's prisons and stupid policies of the Victorial era that whole generations fought to change. Get your minds out of the dark ages. Those ads are often bogus. I had friends looking for work that got called repeatedly to travel to Brockton, Boston, etc. to interview and it was some headhunter looking to fill their quota for the month. They had no job to offer and the unemployed job seeker, their unemployment run out, was out the cost of transportation (train and public transportation).

You guys have not one ounce of compassion and even less humility.

Gretchen, To many people in this country feel that a job is beneath them. Maybe someone was making 60k per year and now has to take a 30k a year job. That's life. Work hard everyday and quit bitching about it. I am tired of paying for the unemployed or the underemployed in this country. Our unemployment system is a joke. Unions, of which I am not affiliated, are certainly helpful to lower payed employees and management will always battle them for every penny. Its just the way it is. Without those unions minimum wage would be half what it is now.

That is not who I am talking about. I have seen women who stayed in low wage jobs and been harassed and threatened. Try coming out and your tires are slashed or there's black ice between your car and the next (even though the parking lot is dry, because someone poured a gallon of water there and it froze.
One man I know had his life threatened because he wasn't Hispanic and 'those jobs' only go to Hispanics. (I'm not be racist here. Hispanics get jobs and don't want to lose them to Anglos).
Steve and others, stop making assumptions. I'm talking about people I know personally. Lived experience. One woman, if she hadn't lived with her impoverished widow mother, would have been out on the street. Another woman was making a decent job but was bullied horribly because the employer wanted to put a family member into the woman's position. She'd had excellent job reviews.
I agree with you about the rest. But lots of people with college degrees are taking lower jobs just to survive.

Gretchen - that sounds like it was written right off the rachel maddow or chris matthews cue cards. Nice

While I'll agree that it does not take skill to work in a supermarket, why fault those who do?
Never intended to offend anyone.
What I do find troubling is how we comment without facts. Complain and name call without fully reading (and comprehending) what was said previously.
I have no reason to lie,but if you feel better calling me a fraud,that's cool.
Food, for thought...if you apply for a job knowing you'll pay union dues, you have a choice. Don't complain after the fact.
The union is not paying the salaries of the workers, the company is. The company, made up of corporate people, set the prices we ALL pay. The corporate people are NOT union employees. And you'd fall over if you knew what they were making and their benefit package. And as an FYI many began working at store level, working their way up, those very same union,unskilled cashiers and stock clerks, wow imagine that.
When S&S and Shaws were the only games in town they were extremely profitable and opening stores on every corner,hiring,promoting enjoying good times. Did Shaw's not just lay-off 700 people ? Ask anyone who works at either market if they think the prices are high? They pay it too. Corporate greed has alot to do with the prices as well. Don't blame it all on the union. Here's a little tidbit. Of the 160+ Shaw's stores, none of the Vt.,N.H.,ME, stores are union and very few Mass stores are.
Can we all just be kind to one another. Not so judgemental.

Glad I do my shopping at Hannaford. The trip to Easton is worth it when I buy the same amount of groceries and spend an average of $60 less than at Stop & Shop.

Brandy, I agree. KMAC's comments make a lot of sense.

It's so easy to criticize people, workers, unions but it's so
cruel and callous. Tearing people down and insulting the dignity
and worth of other human beings only makes your comments look
sordid. Try lifting people up for a change.

I worked at the stop and shop customer service desk for three years. I have seen it all, for sure. I can tell you, the majority of employees will not be picketing, and have nothing to do with the strike. The only reason they are even in the union is because it is required to work there. They are all high school or college age students just looking to make some money. They are not the ones looking to go on strike. Please do not punish those in the stores and on the front customer lines for things they cannot control. They deal with enough nnoying customers already.

I see a lot of employees who do not fit thae demographic of young people. Some of the people in Attleboro have been there for years and are midlife and older, so it's clearly not a fill in job. In any case, it's good to have someone write who has actual experience at a Shop and Stop.

Yes, many of the employees are midlife and older as well. I can tell you as well though, they have no interest in the strike. Many of the workers have little to no knowledge of the union and how it works, reason being that the union does very little to help makes sure the employees know what benefits they are entitled too. They don't know their own benefits, they can't be mad about them, so they are not the ones supporting this strike.

instead of voting on a new contract they should be voting to get rid of their union. roche brothers pays there employees an above average pay rate without taking weekly union dues from them. they are also a highly profitable company with employees that have no desire to be in a union because of the fact they are treated better than stop n shop union employees. not all unions are bad they have there place in the work place just not stop and shops.

Empirical evidence and BS aside,you can bet your very last dollar on one thing, ANY money saved by any Union busting company ,who by the way entered into that agreement because they wanted to, NOT because they were forced to (like at gun point) will NEVER use any of that so called savings to improve the service that you are already happy with, they will use it to improve their own well being..NOt yours OR their current or future employees, who incidently MADE THEM WHO THEY ARE.

Donald PH, you are right. As I wrote earlier, for workers it's a race to the bottom. Employees are just the means to acrue more wealth and unions are the only way that, historically, workers have achieved the 5-day work week and other progressive rights. Most here know little history. It's a noble history. A struggle for dignity, safe working places, a living wage. If my father's carpenter's union hadn't taken care of him, my family wouldn't have survived. Those who don't know history are condemned to repeat it.

Does your drivel have no end?

Indiana,
I will suggest, again, that your name calling affects how people view your postings more than it does mine.
And why make a personal attack? I have the same right to express my opinion as you. Keep it general.

Gretchen I do not care how people view my postings. Sometimes I vote republican sometimes democrat and sometimes indie...I do not need answers to topics to feel warm and fuzzy inside, sometimes things just happen because they do. Do not need to read theories,hypothesis etc...I am socially liberal but strong fiscal conservative. I know I am not right some of the time but say what I feel. Just want people to fend for themselves and if you feel good about yourself the end of the day - great

Well, I would appreciate it if you didn't go out of the way to attack what I say.
It' gets monotonous. And civility is a good thing.
I wouldn't be here if I didn't know how to fend for myself. I don't write to vent or feel good about myself. Maybe we all should stop with the smack-downs that I've experienced from you and others in the past. This should be an open forum and some of the lack of respect here (from many who post or have in the past--this has been more civil than before the election) turns off writers who want to share their ideas but don't want withering critiques or their ideas, and them personally. Think about it.

Fair enough Gretchen...the election has turned everybody's ire to new levels. We are becoming Europe and that is not a good thing. I do not want to wish years away but cannot wait for 2016 and a new leader whether dem or repub will be good. Give me a Bill Clinton again and I am fine

The supermarket business is very competitive, and with fairly-high overhead due to long hours of operations and lots of perishable items . . . to say little or nothing about the legal obligations regarding a host of things. I doubt that owners have yachts and things; though this is not to say that stockholders in publicly-traded holding companies which operate supermarkets (and other things) don't own them. The economy needs investors . . . who will, if they can, depending on their own personal goals, will vary in the types of securities to which they invest.

The way I look at markets is sort of how I see my dentist: I'm mighty glad to have them around. I guarantee everyone that I'll get hungry next week, and "ya gotta
eat somethin'." Would anybody wish to see food and other essentials become scarce or more difficult to obtain? Not me.

Sometimes businesses get involved in labor disputes or disagreements. So do other businesses. Frankly, it happens less now than in the 1950s and 60s. BTW,
I remain proud to be a pro-union man . . . and a Republican, no less. Go figure!