Grocers with beef sue union butchers

Grocers with beef sue union butchers
BY JOHN MARZULLI
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Sunday, June 8th 2008, 4:00 AM

Three supermarket chains want millions in damages from a union they say ordered butchers to urge customers to buy fresh hamburger patties instead of frozen meat.

Lawyers for Pathmark, Waldbaum and The Food Emporium have responded aggressively to what they called a Memorial Day weekend scare campaign in which brochures distributed outside their stores suggested frozen meat may have been lying around warehouses for years.

"The statement that by buying fresh meat, 'customers never have to wonder how old fresh meat and hamburger patties are,' is a clear reference that customers should worry that frozen patties are old," says the suit, filed in Brooklyn Federal Court.

Further, the handbill is "defamatory and libelous" because it suggests the supermarkets were selling outdated meat.

Leaflets were distributed outside stores in New York City and Long Island from May 23 to May 26.

The union, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 342, contends the leafleting was simply an attempt to drum up business because meat department workers' hours have been curtailed.

Several union members were disciplined or suspended for handing out the leaflets, union lawyer Ira Wincott said.

"We weren't telling customers not to buy anything, and we believe their sales actually increased that weekend over last year's sales, which we attribute to the handbill," Wincott said.

A copy of the handbill, attached to the suit, asks: "Why buy frozen patties shipped in from who knows where? Who knows how long they have been laying around a warehouse? Frozen meat may have been frozen for years
From ----newyorkdailynews.com 6-8-2008 p 15