A worker uprising tends to conjure up the most negative of stereotypes these days: a bunch of overpaid, disgruntled workers trying to squeeze more out of management in an economy still struggling out of a recession. Though workers have every right to be disgruntled – they have seen a substantial drop in real wages and witnessed a shrinking middle class – the words “union” and “organized labor” still carry a negative connotation.
Worker bee haters, meet the loyal and determined employees of Market Basket.
The workers loved their boss, Arthur T. Demoulas. He treated them with respect and paid them decently, more than minimum wage, even for part-time employees, and more than the prevailing wage in the area. But Arthur T, as he was known, lost control of the company when a rival cousin, Arthur S. Demoulas, got involved.
[GALLERY: Cartoons on the Economy]
It’s the sort of family feud that other workers might shrug off as way beyond their collective pay grade and certainly beyond their control. But the workers organized – not for themselves, but for the boss who had earned their loyalty. They organized walkouts and boycotts, enlisting customers and middle management to help them protest. Arthur S. Demoulas and the board hung on, convinced that the workers would become tired, discouraged or be too nervous about losing a job, even a bad one.
This is the same mentality that has led management at companies across the nation to cut jobs and demand more hours out of employees. At the same time, many employees perceive that management’s salaries and bonuses continue to grow. That may make for bigger profits in the short run, but it leads to a discouraged and demoralized workforce in the long run. And it is the workers, not the management, who are most needed to keep the day-to-day operations of a business going. Who wants to shop at a store where the check-out people are in a grouchy mood all the time?
Arthur T. Demoulas returned in triumph over (appropriately) Labor Day weekend. He arrived on the back of a truck, his employees cheering for him.