10 Years Ago, One of the Biggest Stories in New England Was About Market Basket and Loyalty

There are very few times that I go into Market Basket and don't think about the incredible display of loyalty that the employees showed 10 years ago this summer.

It Was the Biggest Story in New England

In the summer of 2014, Market Basket's Board of Directors decided to fire Artie T. Demoulas.  The next day, many employees started to strike due to loyalty with Artie T. and demanded that he be reinstated as CEO.  Every media outlet gave the same story, stating that it was a family fight between two of the store's big bosses: cousins Artie T. Demoulas and Arthur S. Demoulas, grandsons of Arthur Demoulas, a Greek immigrant who founded the chain years ago.

It was New England's David vs. Goliath

The Market Basket family feud is legendary.  Never had we experienced such a display of employee loyalty in our lifetimes. Public perception was that Artie T. was all about the employees and their well-being.

Many employees walked off the job. They saw it as loyalty to Artie T., who had taken care of them. According to WBUR, 25,000 employees went on strike in 2014.

A CBS Boston report showed that after a worker found out he could get fired for walking off the job, he said that he "could always find a new job."  Another employee, who had an injury, said, "He (Artie T.) took time out of his day to come down to the rehab center just to see one of his employees.  Who does that?"

Ultimately, Artie T. was restored as CEO and given full ownership of Market Basket.

I remember when I finally went back to Market Basket (yes, I was one of the customers who boycotted the place),  I congratulated all the employees, and they all seemed so very happy to be back.

Market Basket is a Billion Dollar Company

Forbes dives more into the story of the family fight over the company and offers another perspective on the situation if you're interested to read more on it.

That said, I believe that Artie T. did try to do the right thing for his employees and their families, making it one of the best stories in my New England history.