There has been much discussion about how “marvelous” Arthur T. DeMoulas is. Some have questioned why I am so “cynical” about the accolades being given him. I have repeatedly insisted that the first step towards actually improving life for the workers is to organize — form a union. Some have argued that this, too, is cynical.
I remind us of Aaron Feuerstein — the CEO of Malden Mills. Mr. Feuerstein DID, in fact, do everything in his power to look out for his workers. His leadership, and his compassion for his workers, have been widely recognized in pieces like this.
I want to emphasize an aspect of the Aaron Feuerstein story that is, to me, crucial (from the piece, emphasis mine):
Malden Mills was rebuilt and the employees were able to return to work without facing the devastating effects of a community without employment. Aaron Feuerstein became affectionately known as “the Mensch of Malden Mills”, because he had kept his promises to the community. The new plant was rebuilt as a employee and eco-friendly factory. Though it has been a union factory for generations, Malden Mills has never had a strike because of the leadership of the Feuersteins and their efforts to balance employee and business needs. Rather than downsize each time they developed new technology that would replace workers, they instead would look for new ways to use their employees. If they had to downsize, they did so in a socially responsible way, providing time and resources for the employee to find new employment.
Let’s just hear the instant replay on that:
Though it has been a union factory for generations, Malden Mills has never had a strike because of the leadership of the Feuersteins and their efforts to balance employee and business needs.
Although a bit long, this video clip provides more context and insight into the truly inspiring story of Aaron Feuerstein:
Aaron Feuerstein was a genuine friend of his employees and of labor. I see no indication that any participant in the DeMoulas fracas is remotely comparable.
What I can’t understand is why you seem to think you know the plight of the MB workers better than they do themselves. It sounds like Feuerstein is a little closer to Grossman, who can make the same claims regarding his business’s union, and yes, I remember when Feuerstein continued to pay his workers after the mill fire. However, loyalty doesn’t magically appear and it is possible as I think Arthur T. has shown to do right by your employees without having your hand forced by a union too.
Tom, I did not see this post before making my comment in that other thread, where I referred to Feuerstein. Except for the extreme crucible of the mill fire, I don’t see the two stories as all that different. Feuerstein was punished by the banks, DeMoulas is being punished by the shareholders. Greed ascendant in both cases.
I believe Tom’s point is that they differ in their own actions, though I am not convinced.
Aaron Feuerstein worked hand-in-glove with the labor unions of his plant before and after the fire. Arthur T. DeMoulas has so far shown no similar willingness to actually empower his workers.
I don’t think Feuerstein did that, either.
Mr. Feuerstein’s plant “had been a union factory for generations”.
I not only want him to tell them to unionize, I want him to fund the effort and help them make it happen. New CEOs would not be able to so cavalierly threaten them with firings if they were a union shop.
The CEO of a company like Market Basket or Malden Mills who genuinely cares about his workers wants them to be unionized.
with a hungry pack of shareholders controlling the BoD and already breathing down his neck, he would have prompted them to get rid of him that much sooner. If there were no greedy BoD, he might well have tried to help the workers unionize; there’s no way of telling, unless you know of him proclaiming anti-union sentiments.
My point remains that Arthur T has already been fired, and already has the resources to empower the MB workers. Helping today’s MB workers organize is far more effective way to truly protect their interests against the hostile management that is already in place. It is certainly more effective than yet another fruitless attempt to buy out Arthur S — perpetuating a feud that has already gone on for decades.
Helping the MB workers organize should have been his first step.
I’d have to say that the spirited actions of the employees speak volumes for both Artie T and “old AF” as we called him. We loved Aaron before the fire, it seems the Market Basket employees love their boss too.
I see where Tom is coming from here and I agree quite strongly.
The problem with the DeMoulas situation that I can’t shake is that the economic security of thousands of people has depended solely on the personality of one person in one corporate faction: Arthur T.
There’s no union. There are no employment contracts. There are no special provisions in the bankruptcy code. There are no protections whatsoever — just the munificence of one guy who has (at least for now) been pushed out. I’m just fundamentally uncomfortable with the notion that the economic security of thousands depends on one guy and is backed up by no guarantees whatsoever. There was a time in the U.S. when unions represented a large enough percentage of workers in enough regions of the country that employers needed to be more generous as a hedge against unionization, but I don’t think that’s what’s happening at DeMoulas — at least not now.
I get these workers’ loyalty to Arthur T., and it is indeed laudable, uncommon and, in some instances, quite moving. But as the recent firings have shown, these workers also have no protection from at will employment now that the Arthur S. faction is driving the bus. Arthur T. could be the best guy in the world, but there are far too many workers under whom the bottom is about to fall out because a cult of personality is no guarantee of employment or security.
Do you know many retail workers who are in a union?
Apparently, S&S workers are unionized. Even if MB were also unionized, that would not have protected any of those who were fired; they are management.
…that these folks are willing to put it all the line without any union protections.
In my view, it speaks most eloquently to how much we (especially in our media) have denigrated and harmed organized labor. The once-liberal Boston Globe now has more than one columnist suggesting that these workers should “get back to work”.
Perhaps they should get back to work — after they are represented by a strong and powerful union.
At least, not since I’ve been watching it.