UFCW 324 Communications / News

Two Women Ordered Arrested By Bashas

~ Dozens of Workers Picket Basha-Owned A.J.'s Over 'Broken Health Insurance Promise'

May 21, 2006 · Wire Services

PHOENIX -- Two women were arrested Sunday morning as part of the Bashas Corporation ongoing effort to silence worker concern over unprecedented increases in health insurance premiums. The two women, Sarah Gresoski, 23, and Teresa D'Asaro, 39, both members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, were meeting with employees at the Basha-owned A.J.'s at Uptown Plaza in Phoenix. Such meetings are allowed and protected under federal law.

The A.J.'s store manager made a "citizens arrest" of the two women apparently after consultation with unnamed company officials. Phoenix Police Officers then were called to take the women into custody and charged them with "criminal trespassing."

Following the arrests upwards of 60 employees and union members launched a picket line in front of the A.J.'s store chanting slogans like "Eddie keep your promise, your workers deserve better" and "Eddie, Eddie you can't hide you just showed your greedy side."

For the past three days UFCW members have been meeting with employees at Bashas-owned stores across the Valley including Bashas, A.J.'s, and FoodCity. While Bashas has a history of labor problems, most notably at FoodCity, the health insurance issue is companywide affecting virtually all of Bashas 10,000 employees.

On June 1st, workers at Bashas-owned stores are being hit with dramatic cost increases in their health insurance premiums and forces them well below the industry standard.

Last year Bashas trailed only Wal-Mart and McDonald's in taxpayer funded health insurance "subsidies" paid by the State of Arizona. An estimated 5-percent of Bashas employees were forced to turn to public assistance for health care according to published reports in 2005.

"By loading more of the health care burden on already strained households, Bashas is only going to be sending more and more of employees to Arizona's taxpayers for their health care," said UFCW Local 99 President James McLaughlin.