Store owners relieved Teamster battle over

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The picketers are gone from the Associated Wholesale Grocer-supplied grocery stores, along with their handbills. Local Teamsters are back to work, doing the same job for a new company.|ret||ret||tab|

In the past 10 weeks the process has consumed the public's attention through extensive media coverage, picketers, handbills and advertising campaigns. This level of awareness served to generate much public support for the union cause, and also had a big impact on some local businesses.|ret||ret||tab|

Many store owners declined to comment in the wake of last week's contract agreement between the Teamsters and the Britain-based Elite Logistics. Those that did have something to say agreed on one point: they are glad it's all over.|ret||ret||tab|

For Strafford Apple Market owner Don Ramsey, the timing of the labor dispute was especially damaging. Though he is the primary investor in the operation, he was leasing the store to another individual. Shortly before the dispute took place, the leasee withdrew from the store because of serious health problems. Ramsey and his wife, both in their 70s, had to step in and take over.|ret||ret||tab|

"Our business dropped to one-third of normal," Ramsey said of sales during the dispute period. "We have a very high concentration of AWG workers who live in this area; add to that family members and friends and that loss added up real quick."|ret||ret||tab|

Ramsey could not find another leasee or even a buyer because no one was interested in the store. "We kept it open in order to sell it," he said. "Then we got caught in this situation."|ret||ret||tab|

Because the store had no debt and it was not the its primary source of income, they were able to keep the doors open. "Had it been an ordinary store owner, this would have closed it," Ramsey said.|ret||ret||tab|

As far as the outcome, Ramsey said "I am ecstatic. I didn't have a position on it one way or the other. All of us just wanted this to be over."|ret||ret||tab|

Business is coming back, Ramsey said. Sales have climbed back to about 50 percent of normal.|ret||ret||tab|

Harter House grocery store manager Dale Dothage said "We are tickled to death to see some resolution in this."|ret||ret||tab|

Like many of the larger AWG stores, Harter House had picketers every day of the picketing period. But Dothage said "The informational picketers were very courteous. There was no disruption on their part and I appreciate that very much."|ret||ret||tab|

Dothage also lauded the temporary workers who kept groceries on the shelves during the picketing.|ret||ret||tab|

"In the short time they had, they did a good job serving the store," Dothage said. "They did an over and above effort to take care of business."|ret||ret||tab|

The replacement workers brought in by Elite were in turn replaced by the Teamsters both drivers and warehouse workers a result of the recent eight-year contract signed between the Teamsters' union and Elite. Spokespeople for Elite's parent company, Tibbett & Britten, did not return phone calls for comment.|ret||ret||tab|

Johnathon's Supermarket owner Johnathon Porter said his small store at 707 S. Campbell did not attract any picketers and "as far as sales go, it did not affect us much."|ret||ret||tab|

Porter said the incident had an internal impact; temporary drivers did not always arrive on schedule and often orders were incomplete.|ret||ret||tab|

Porter said that problem seems to have ended with the picketing.|ret||ret||tab|

"We got our first load today (June 5) and everything was stocked in real professionally," Porter said, "like it used to be."|ret||ret||tab|

The decision by AWG to outsource its Springfield and Kansas City operations was made by the board; large grocery store owners that have controlling interest in the association. Many small store owners, though officially members of AWG, had no say in the matter.|ret||ret||tab|

In Ash Grove, Pennington's Supermarket owner Terry Pennington said the first time he heard about the AWG decision was on the evening news.|ret||ret||tab|

"In the beginning, I didn't know what was going on," Pennington said. "Like any other business, just because you buy stock in it, doesn't mean you control it."|ret||ret||tab|

Pennington said thanks to a loyal customer base, sales did not suffer during the picketing. "Some weeks we were even up a little," he said. "I would like to thank my customers for helping me through this; they knew I had no say in the matter (AWG decision)."[[In-content Ad]]