Bob Morris @ Jan 21st 2004 13:52 - Category: Unfiled ;
Protest and civil disobedience arrests
Von’s headquarters, Arcadia, California
Steven Burd, ringleader of the Greedy Three, is CEO of Safeway, owner of Von’s.
A bus caravan will leave L.A. on Tuesday to picket his home.
I posted more photos on LA IndyMedia.
Bob Morris @ Jan 21st 2004 13:49 - Category: Unfiled ;
UFCW Local 770 President Ricardo Icaza
Addressing the crowd minutes before being arrested for civil disobedience
Bob Morris @ Jan 21st 2004 13:46 - Category: Unfiled ;
Civil disobedience arrests.
Bob Morris @ Jan 21st 2004 08:59 - Category: Unfiled ;
A family deposed by force
A married couple, survivalists who sold surplus military equipment, were raided by police. They were eventually jailed on rather minor charges, their home was bulldozed (bulldozed!), and the husband forced to serve his full term because his highly unusual parole conditions forbade him to see his wife.
At the end of the five-month investigation, the Sherburnes — a deeply religious couple with six children — each pleaded no contest to one felony count of possessing 10 tracer bullets, which illuminate the trajectory and are legal in several states but not California. Prosecutors never proved a link between the couple and McVeigh.
But by that time, their home was demolished and their business in ruins. Trudy Sherburne went to jail for five months. Her husband started a prison term that lasted five years because he refused to accept parole conditions that barred him from seeing his wife.
I probably wouldn’t agree with a single political belief of the Sherburnes. That matters not. They’ve been hounded and nearly destroyed by a vindictive out of control government. It appears the government couldn’t get a serious conviction, so, out of sheer meanness, tried to destroy them anyway - and this should concern us all.
Bob Morris @ Jan 21st 2004 00:09 - Category: Unfiled ;
Slotting fees: Crack cocaine for the supermarkets
Oligopoly Watch details how slotting fees, which are kickbacks the big supermarket chains charge their vendors, are a primary reason these chains are losing out to Wal-Mart, who doesn’t charge these “fees”.
You read that correctly. Vendors pay the supermarket chains to sell their goods.
Basically, the manufacturer pays a fee to the retailing for the privilege of “slotting” their products in the retailer’s warehouse, and ultimately placing their products on the supermarket shelves. The fee can be either in cash, goods, or services, or all three.
(Mercy, it would seem a dishonest manager of a big supermarket could pocket thousands in tax-free income each year from vendors anxious to sell at his store. But I’m sure that would never happen, because that would be wrong.)
Of course these fees get passed along to the consumer, thus increasing prices. Wal-Mart is many nasty things, however they do not charge slotting fees as they insist customers will pay the lowest price possible. According to Oligopoly Watch, this is a major reason they undersell the big grocery chains. Plus, because they aren’t addicted to slotting fees, they stock their shelves based on what customers want, not on what the slotting fees are.
In other words, Wal-Mart is winning not primarily because of low salaries and health expenses, but because of abstention from the slotting fees. Like a crack addict, the big chains are unwilling to give up the slotting fees and compete directly with Wal-Mart.
The Greedy Three says Wal-Mart is the reason they must, absolutely and tragically must, slash benefits and wages. Uh huh. Maybe they should give up their addiction first.
Wal-Mart hammers everyone but the customer to drive down prices. Employees and vendors routinely get ground down, and they have thouands of lawsuits pending against them. They are nasty, vicious, and no model for ethical business practices. However, with slotting fees estimated at 9 billion a year - which means 9 billion added to our grocery bill - it’s clear why Wal-Mart, who abstains from this, has lower prices.
Bob Morris @ Jan 21st 2004 00:03 - Category: Unfiled ;
Let’s hope the strike isn’t still going next Xmas!
Sandi Kirwin writes:
My neighbor Vicky hangs out with the picketers at the Albertsons near us. As a thank you for her support they gave her this Christmas ornament. Some of the women are wearing little picket sign earrings too.
Bob Morris @ Jan 21st 2004 00:01 - Category: Unfiled ;
US sugar barons ‘block global war on obesity’
Leading scientists accused the Bush administration last night of putting the interests of powerful American sugar barons ahead of the global fight against obesity.
Maybe that’s why they’re called “fat cats”.
Bob Morris @ Jan 21st 2004 00:00 - Category: Unfiled ;
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