The Triumph of Core American Values in the Epic Battle for a Grocery Store Chain

Over the last few years conflicts between management and labor have generated considerable press and the story lines have mostly focused on the downsizing or firing of workers. But a different narrative unfolded this summer when a battle for control of a large and profitable New England grocery chain made headlines as two cousins, Arthur T. Demoulas and Arthur S. Demoulas, fought over who would manage the growing chain of stores. Managerial control of Market Basket changed in June 2014, when Arthur S. convinced the board of directors to fire his cousin, who had been managing the company, and hire a new management team.

This unleashed a storm of protest and a reaction from the company’s 25,000 supermarket employees, from low-level managers to workers, including store supervisors, shelf stockers and cashiers, who walked out over the firing of their CEO, bringing the company to the verge of collapse.

But why would supermarket workers and managers walk off the job in defense of their CEO?

The prevailing explanation about what took place at Market Basket is a tale of compassion versus greed straight out of It’s a Wonderful Life. The striking workers certainly embraced this dichotomy between “good” Arthur T. and “bad” Arthur S., two cousins locked in a family feud over control of the enterprise that goes back decades. As one fired warehouse manager told the Lowell Sun during the conflict, “I’ll follow Arthur T. to the end of the world.”

However, the emphasis on good versus bad oversimplifies the matter and masks important questions. Why would workers voluntarily follow their former CEO to the unemployment line? How did Market Basket workers achieve their goal in an era when most collective action by labor fails? ...