Union pensions help destroy another private company

[Patriot]

The Cost of Unions: The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. Files For Bankruptcy
Is it a surprise that a union helped drive A&P into filing for bankruptcy?

Posted by LaborUnionReport
Monday, December 13th at 4:15PM EST


The grocery industry is a highly competitive industry and, as so often is the case, those businesses that are saddled with extraordinary obstacles falter.

On Sunday, the 151-year old Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., once the nation's largest grocery chain and current operator of 395 grocery stores with 41,000 employees, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. With $1 billion in debt, the company has struggled in recent years and has lost market share, making the bankruptcy filing all the more likely.

...A&P also has one of the most heavily unionized work forces in the business, with 95 percent of its workers covered under collective bargaining agreements. It said in its filing it would seek to work with the unions to lower those costs.

The United Food & Commercial Workers represents nearly all of A&P's workers in 26 UFCW locals throughout (primarily) the Northeast. On Friday, in a statement to its members on its website regarding the rumors of the impending bankruptcy filing, the United Food & Commercial Workers, Local 342, laid the blame for bankruptcy wholly at the feet of management...

Full story here:  http://www.redstate.com/laborunionreport/2010/12/13/the-cost-of-unions-the-great-atlantic-pacific-tea-company-files-for-bankruptcy/