I have to ask it. Arthur D. has a history of playing to win at any price with an ethics and legalities be damned offensive strategy. Right now I’ve only seen two op-eds and maybe two news pieces raising questions of the appropriateness, legality, and sincerity of Team Arthur T.
One of these Op-eds was in the Wall Street Journal and it ended with a blunt criticism of our local media.
[It]pays to look under the hood, which some of the Boston media might have bothered to do before turning the Demoulas battle into a good guy vs. bad guy corporate morality tale.
I’m not talking about the multi-million dollar circus being run at of Larry Rasky’s office that fills every caller to Dan Rea, and on-line comments in Globe, Herald, and Lowell Sun with the same chants while maintaining a on-going line with editors, writers, TV/Radio types, and politicians pushing the cause while on top of that providing a steady stream of Market Basket employees, former employees and customers declaring allegiance to Arthur T.
Something fishy here. Think about it. Before this all started the new CEOs had not announced nor indicated any lay-offs or salary/benefit reductions. Other than making broad assumptions from the two new executives’ resumes there is nothing other than speculation, perhaps educated speculation but no difference, that the company will be run into the ground.
Wouldn’t reasonable people wait for a more specific event before risking their family’s security by walking off their job because the big big bosses replace the big boss? And shouldn’t an independent media be asking that same question and many more?
Right now the employees saying Arthur S. created this mess and they should bring back Arthur T. to straighten it out. Obvious to the world however, that  the mess was and is caused by employees not showing up for work so their argument is illogical if not extortion.
Yet Artie T.’s narrative goes unquestioned in the press.
What’s going on here? Statistically I mean. Thousands of employees say they worship him like Gandhi when in reality he’s Gotti. Very few crossing the line.
Now, in the law suit where Arthur T. was found to have conspired with his father Telemachus to defraud Arthur S.’s side of 50% of the stock Arthur T. used millions to orchestrate private investigators and corrupt lawyers to take-out the judge sitting on the case. Three lawyers were disbarred. (Not suspended, disbarred. Huge difference).
Arthur T.’s laissez faire attitude with his money and troops in his family war is notorious and worth knowing by anyone reporting on this farce. Yet even when they report the history they sugar coat it.
So I ask you, when we see 99%.99 of the media supporting Arthur T. as if it were as obvious as supporting our boys in World War II isn’t it reasonable to ask questions?
You know what? It is not illegal for media types to take a few bucks on the side to “keep it honest”.
You know what else? Arthur T. buys his way out of shit.
I heard one knucklehead who shall remain nameless (JIm Braude) suggest that Arthur S. wants the company so he can send it into bankruptcy to spite Arthur S.
hey Jim, I have a better idea. Run the business as good as or better than Arthur T. or sell out to anyone but Arthur T. rather than biting off your nose to spite your face. (Can you believe the shitty public radio station WGBH is giving this moron another hour of air time. Don’t get me going.)
Anyway, if the facts of this case were reported fairly it would cause much more derision on the subject among the media, the employees, and the public. Instead they are playing along with Artie T. in hypnotizing the employees into believing they can’t lose. (That’s what Artie T. has them thinking so if they don’t join in they are in troube when he gets the company back)
I’m tellin’ you people there’s money being made out there and I’m not talking about Rasky and the lawyers. Something ain’t right. Like a cluster that scientists see and then say, “hey, there’s something going on here. Let’s get a grant and see what it is.”
johnk says
This is the kicker, when this first came down WHDH stalked Arthur S. and when after the first weekend and asked if he would sell to Arthur T.
Well, of course he said that he wants to run the company.
Nah, only kidding, 1:18 mark of the video
For f-sakes lie a little Arthur, I hope he doesn’t play poker.
I know you like the 90’s but not sure how relevant it is in this situation.
You got one person who wants to run the company and another who wants to cash out. Arthur S. pulled out 300 million, which you missed when posting make believe unsubstantiated court filings,
He’s looking to sell. Yes, that would have employees worried and want their past management team.
BTW – Byron Barnett doing the Mike Wallace, never knew you had it in ya.
eb3-fka-ernie-boch-iii says
Gary Crossen, Richard K. Donahue, and a guy named Curry. I thought i did but found out i couldn’t. “Make believe”?
Are you kidding me. This stuff is legend in Boston legal circles.
johnk says
the BS pdf filing you posted earlier which you quoted from is what I was referring to, that was obvious.
Not the 90’s.
eb3-fka-ernie-boch-iii says
the guy’s a thief and you are a sucker johnk. Also a communist.This isn the definition of communism. With Pravda and a few Politboro members on board.
Ain’t this America? Little pink houses?
johnk says
both guys are MF’ers, but one wants to cash out, the other guy want to run the company.
Arthur T. and his family think it’s theirs they always have, they ran it, the others shared the cash, they tried to take it away. Got it.
But if you look the company itself, you would see how it was built. It’s pretty easy to understand why employees and management are so close to Arthur T. your court cases not withstanding.
JimC says
It’s just a big story. On one hand I’m glad a labor issue is getting coverage; on the other hand I’m skeptical of the whole affair.
SomervilleTom says
Seems like it was real-estate shenanigans by Arthur T that really pissed off the Arthur S side of the family.
So what’s the total value of the real estate portfolio?
How does that compare with the MB market cap before and after the Arthur S. faction goads the Arthur T. faction into promoting a strike that guts the customer base?
How much do I make if I’m Arthur S. and I flip that real estate portfolio into a deal that does NOT include Arthur T and all those pesky workers?
Christopher says
…it’s the Arthur S. side which is buying the full page ads. This is a story in its own right and the employees know what they want. The rallys are not the creation of a PR firm.
eb3-fka-ernie-boch-iii says
cultish I say, cultish!
fenway49 says
Local blog contributor has four posts in a single day, and like 20 in a week and a half, bashing Artie T. and pleading for poor Artie S. to get a break. Statistically something ain’t right. And Artie T. isn’t the only Arthur DeMoulas who has a lot of cash to throw around…
In the meantime I’ve seen people picketing outside every MB store I’ve passed in the past three weeks and a couple of dozen cars parked in driveways plastered in pro-Arthur T. messages. All those people are dupes. Thankfully we have a caped crusader to set us straight.
Christopher says
I follow their lead. Thank you for posting this comment so I didn’t have to reply to EB3’s “cultish” comment above thus feeding the troll.
eb3-fka-ernie-boch-iii says
you have any sales and marketing ideas i should about instituting?
fenway49 says
Send them on the down-low to Artie S. Give him a taste of the kind of love he could be shown if he plays his cards right.
Who’s gonna buy the cow when he’s already getting the milk, amirite?
eb3-fka-ernie-boch-iii says
Have you seen that show? “Fenway49 for Me”
đŸ™‚
bob-gardner says
As long as he’s anonymous, who would ever know?
The difference between EB3 and that long list of journalists he posted is that their names are out there. If there is some financial connections that is making their reporting biased, there’s a pretty good chance someone will point it out.
EB3? Not so much.
JimC says
… I want a raise.