Protesting Market Basket employees moved their rallying cries to a company job fair Monday afternoon that management said could be used to replace workers who didn’t return to their jobs Monday.
"Absolutely it’s a slap in the face, absolutely," Dick Adams, a corporate headquarters employee who takes care of the truck fleet, said.
"Officially we’re supposed to all be fired today, so I don’t know what’s going on so I haven’t got any official papers yet," said Denise Parker, a 25-year Market Basket employee also at corporate headquarters.
They booed those who came and went from the Andover, Massachusetts, perishable distribution center, with some of them saying they couldn’t return to work here even if they wanted to.
Poultry selector Marty Perez, who normally works in the Andover distribution, said, they're not allowed in there.
"The FDA shut us down last Friday and OSHA because of the people they tried to replace us with. Obviously they can’t replace us, couldn’t do their jobs," he said.
The new co-CEOs released a statement saying employees could also apply for positions over email: "We have heard from many associates who are interested in applying for internal positions, but are concerned for their safety if they attend the scheduled job fair."
"It’s a farce, no one’s going to come here it’s just them trying to look good doing their job and it’s not going to work," Parker said.
Business
"Never going to happen, you can’t fill the positions of the people that they’re looking for," Market Basket office manager Michelle St. Cyr said.
As the supermarket showdown drags on well into its third week, some workers are feeling the pinch.
"I’m not getting paid right now, right," Market Basket manager Tim Lancey said.
"I’ve been here for 42 years and it’s the first time I’ve ever had no paycheck," said Bob Hartman, another Market Basket manager.
But instead of losing faith, many of these employees seem even more confident they will succeed in bringing "Artie T." back as CEO.
"It symbolizes the fact that the 1-percenter can’t just bully us. We can literally take down a corporation with 600 people, the stores are still at work, it’s 600 employees that literally crippled a billion dollar company," Perez said.
There will be a large rally at the Stadium Plaza Market Basket again on Tuesday. Organizers are asking not only employees but customers to attend, saying "this is your fight, you have taken it over."
