Nonviolent Protest Trumps Market Basket Scheme

Interior of the Market Basket in Chelsea, the second-largest supermarket in the New England region. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported. Attribution: Rlaferla.

By guest author, Dot Walsh

Many activists follow their inner guides and speak out, act out, and protest around many worthy issues. Sometimes there are positive results, as in the case of the new gun legislation in Massachusetts, but often not.

Then there is the Market Basket—its prices greatly appreciated by countless families being squeezed down and out of the  middle class.

Things changed dramatically on June 23, 2014, when Arthur T. Demoulas, known for his kindness and concern for employees, was removed as president of the company.  Dollar signs dancing in their brains, the Board of Directors, led by his cousin, wanted to emulate the strategies of supermarkets like Shaw’s and Stop and Shop; those stores are owned by Cerberus, an LTD  that also owns many of the area hospitals, businesses in other countries, and manufacturers of guns.  Are you surprised that this mega corporation has fingers in so many pies? The corporate world is generally all about profits and keeping the public in the dark.

In the case of Market Basket, the employees staged walkouts at all 71 locations, demanding the reinstatement of Arthur T.  Courageously, they put their jobs and salaries on the line for the man who meant more to them than their paychecks, joined by customers willing to take a stand. And the result? On Wednesday, August 27,the Board agreed to sell the majority of the company’s shares to Arthur T and his sisters. The protesters and the public won.

This outcome can have far reaching implications for power struggles arising between corporations and employees.  For anyone involved in social activism using nonviolent strategies, this is a story to embrace.  Without Arthur’s positive relationship with his employees, it might have ended very differently.

Dot Walsh is a lifelong peace activist and member of the Engaging Peace Board of Directors.