Why do people always harp on union dues? You want to talk money? Let's talk about a lot more money, millions more. What did the new management at Times do with the millions they made off the efforts of their workers? They "rewarded" employees by taking jobs away and benefits. Hmmm, one can guess where most of the money went ...

Now to hear that Times has been deceiving customers by selling old meat?!! Auwe! That's really what you call sad ... and low, very low. More reason to shop Don Quijote or Foodland, where it's all about FRESH!

I don't see these issues as being about union or nonunion. It's more about decency, honesty and integrity. That's why I'm happy to boycott Times!

Why waste so much money on what's said and done? Where was the union and all their money when the workers needed them?

I am not a Times employee, just an everyday citizen tired of all the whining and complaining.

GET OVER IT!!! It seems like all the union dues you collected over the years didn't help the workers one bit. Sad.

Interesting Hawaii Business survey discussed on the morning news today. For the same basket of grocery items shopped at local markets (excluding Costco):

Least expensive - Don Quijote (a store with unionized meat department workers)

Coming in 2nd - Foodland (a store with unionized meat department workers)

More expensive - TIMES (a store whose meat department workers reportedly went non-union before last year's acquisition of Star Markets and Star's unionized meat department workers)

So if unions cause higher prices, why isn't the chain with a greater number of "non-union" workers least expensive?

No, not a former Times worker. Never been employed by Times under the previous owner or the present owner, thank God! Doing just fine in my current employment, thank you very much! I just hate to see abuse by management and can't understand why people would deflect that onto employees who were the victims not the perpetrators!

I just don't agree with an employer who does not care for its injured workers and who takes jobs from women who worked there for decades. Ask yourself why? Like BP, does this company care more about $$$ or people?

this guy rite here sounds like one of the salty workers that got fired....
ever thought that u jus sucked at the job and thats why ur at home doin nothing?

The last blogger sure sounds like management to me. Work harder and work harder again. Don't like it? Then get out! That 1950s management style doesn't work anymore, even though some dinosaur-like companies with Neanderthal leadership will still try to use it.

Why should it always fall to employees to go elsewhere - especially when in this case the employees were there first? Why can't the new management simply learn to grow a conscience and take better care of its employees?

That's life people...who knows what's gonna happen. People are in business for one thing...MONEY...People work hard for MONEY...If it wasn't like that no one would work. Mainland companies in Hawaii, nothing new. What about foreign companies? The world is much bigger than just Hawaii. Just like Hawaii is a lot bigger than Times. People have put all their lives into their own businesses and have gone bankrupt...nothing is forever.

And I'm sorry Unions are a waste of time. Oh lunch has to be this long and this has to be that and really, what ever happen to just working hard to get somewhere on your own? Don't like the company you work for cause their work relations suck? CHANGE JOBS! Work hard again and again!

To set the record straight for those who may not know, while federal law allows unionized workers to strike against their employer, the law also prohibits striking workers from preventing customers or other workers from crossing the picket line. Therefore, the picket lines had to occasionally "break" to allow customers and workers to cross.

Is was unfortunate that scabs were anxious to take the places of unionized workers and fill the illegally reclassified positions - doubtless for less pay, which just serves to bring down the pay scale and the standard of living for everyone else. We heard some of the replacements were fired or quit after they could not perform the job requirements.

I also want to speak up for all the deli clerks who were very committed to their jobs, which involved more than mindlessly putting product on the shelves. We knew our products, understood storage requirements, submitted orders and special orders, rotated stock and kept the chillers clean. Our customers counted on us for information and advice.

It's interesting to note that a recent retail publication printed an interview with Costco's CEO who decided NOT to layoff employees during these tough economic times. Instead, he used attrition and lowered prices to drive more people into his stores. He honored his employees' hard work and loyalty. How refreshing!

In contrast, the Times owner decided to cut jobs and end our careers, and this was well before the economy turned bad. I'm sure the bottom line was his first concern. Yet Costco has demonstrated that this is not necessarily how the Free Market must work to reach its bottom line. Apparently it all depends on how human management is and how it chooses to measure success.

Thank you to all the people who choose to boycott Times until our labor dispute is resolved.

I support your Boycott. I never shopped at Times anyway because it is a high priced store, they are even to high to Bargain Pick.

During the Strike the Union workes, let the Non Union Workers and the Public Cross the Picket line with No Penalty for doing so. This is Not away to run a Strike.

Also the other workers did not support the Union workers and when the jobs where reclassified making the situation mute there where more then enough young workers willing to take the jobs at what ever wage Times Offered.

Again Not a way to run a Strike.

In the end the public treated the Times Strike as a Joke if they thought about it at all.

When Times closed the Market At EWA Beach and left the Mall with out an anchor and the many residents with only one local store. The High Foodland Store. Foodland can at least from time to time be bargain picked.

Deli Work is considered Unskillled Labor. There for there is no reason on Earth to pay Union Scale.

I feel bad for the workers with a lot of years in of long hours and Sunday and Holiday Work you worked hard and expected something for your efforts.

I think Union missed judged its Power with the new owners on the Mainland who had No History and No Loyalty to the Local Workers.

Also in a Free Market Society the Bottom Line has to Rule.

The company may tell you you are a family but you are not, you are just an employee nothing more and perhaps less.

I will continue not to shop at Times Markey.

How many times can Times lie and have local people fall for it? When Times acquired Star, the owner said "business as usual for employees and customers." Then I noted that one of the managers misspoke in the media and said they were acquiring "5 .. er, no, I mean 7 Star stores." No, folks, he really meant 5 because he knew all along they were selling two to CVS. Is this what Times calls "business as usual for employees and customers"? And how come a week ago when I talked to one of the employees at Star, the person didn't even know if they would have jobs. You can't tell people whether they will be employed or not a week to 10 days out of closing? In my book that's called screwing people over for money ...