I apparently caused a lot of disturbance at Publix when I posted

[napi21]

that they had a memo asking employees to vote for the Republicans. Apparently some customers contacted them and said they would no longer shop there because of their tactic. My husband got a call from the regional mgr. and lord knows how far this filtered throughout the entire company. In their defense, I received this email from the Manager of Government Relations at their Home Office in Fl. I asked for his permission to post a copy of his email here.

I appreciate you giving Publix the opportunity to respond to your concerns. Publix has not and never will tell or ask our associates how to vote. Based on my conversation with your husband and the managers at your husband's store, it appears that the memo you referenced was actually a news article from Supermarket News. Supermarket News is a grocery industry trade publication, that is completely unaffiliated with Publix. The only relationship between Supermarkets News and Publix is that many managers at Publix, like at most supermarkets and grocers in the United States, are subscribers to the publication.

I hope that this explanation reassures you that Publix has not and will not tell or ask your husband or any other associate how to vote.

If you have any additional concerns or would like to discuss this matter further, please feel free to contact me.

I responded to him by saying that I understood why they were upset, but many employees perceive a memo like that to be a form of intimidation, minor though it may have been, especially when their mgr. asks them to read it. I actually believe him when he says Publix has not nor ever will tell or ask their employees how to vote, and I suspect they will never send a memo like that again.

[Pab Sungenis]

1. Translation: "Oops, we got caught."

"Now we have to cover our tracks."

Screw Publix.

[Lorien]

2. I wrote to them and got this reply:

we appreciate you giving Publix the opportunity to respond to your concerns. Publix has not and never will tell our associates who to vote for or how to vote. We are aware that recent posts on a blog site are claiming that Publix has circulated a memo telling our associates who to vote for in the upcoming Presidential election. This rumor is false. There is and never was any such memo or communication.

Publix is committed to providing a superior shopping experience by offering competitive pricing and excellent customer service to our customers. Again, we appreciate your feedback.

If you have any additional concerns, or you would like to discuss this matter further, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Respectfully,
Justin Middleton

[Mariana]

6. "There is and never was any such memo or communication."

Someone's lying.

[liberalmuse]

3. Uh, right.

Bullshit, they don't tell people how to vote. You should be damn proud of yourself! I am!

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[napi21]

8. My only problem is that I may have inadvertantly gotten my husband

in hot water which was NEVER my intent! I foolishly didn't realize how easy it would be to track down MY identity thus his as well. I'm sorry for that.

[Ghost in the Machine]

15. It's not like Flowery Branch is a real big town or anything...

Tell Marty Hortman I said "Hi!"

:hi:

[napi21]

19. He doesn't work in Flowery Branch. n/t

[Ghost in the Machine]

27. Someone had a lot of time on their hands since there's 18 Publix stores within 15 miles of you..

http://store.publix.com/publix/cgi/selection?mapid=US&place=Flowery+Branch®ion=GA%2CUS&zip=&x=43&y=10

I don't know how they could have figured out who you are, unless you've posted some personal info here before....

:shrug:

[napi21]

28. I'm guessing here, but let's assume somebody has broadband.

There are very few options here. I assume (though I know that's risky) if you know the broadband provider, you and cnter that into google and get all the info you want.

[JohnnyCougar]

29. What they could have done is asked all the Store Managers in your area

"Who made their employees read Supermarket News?" Than your husband's Store Manager probably admitted that he was the one who did it, and figured out which employee it was pretty easily because you said he was retiring in a month.

I doubt they contacted the broadband provider.

[napi21]

30. As I said, I've contacted them several times on other topics. I

wouldn't be surprised that they reatin that info. It obviously had my name, address, and contact info. I've never connected my inquiries to my hisband's store, but with a last name, that would be an easy link.

[Ghost in the Machine]

31. Yeah, I know how that goes...

I can get into anyone's bellsouth (at&t) account that I want to... and all I need is their name or an email addy or even a chatroom user name...

[earth mom]

18. Yeah, HOW did they find out who you are?!

Did DU give out your information? :wtf:

[napi21]

21. There's several ways I can think of. If someone there signed up for DU, they can view

ID pages. They could search their payroll records for our town and certainly narrow the field. The other way is that I've emailed Publix on other issues in the past. Mostly things like why have you discontinued a product, but if they retian that info, they already had my email addy.

[earth mom]

23. I really hope nothing bad comes of it for your hubby.

:hi:

[napi21]

25. I gope so too! If I would have thought it would have adversly

affected him, I'd never have posted it!

[flvegan]

4. Hmmm...I can't get the whole article

but wonder if this is the stub, if this is true.

"2008 Elections

Sep 15, 2008 12:00 PM, By MARK HAMSTRA

Status Quo: Food retailers want to preserve current labor and tax rules as they eye this year’s political races By: By MARK HAMSTRA

Americans as a whole may still be questioning which presidential candidate is better suited to revive the country's sluggish economy, but for executives in the supermarket industry, the choice is clear: the Republicans would be better for their own businesses, which in turn would be good for the economy.

The changes in labor laws and in the tax code that have been proposed in the Democratic National Platform are an anathema to food retailers, according to industry executives and associations."

http://subscribers.supermarketnews.com/retail_financial/electionsstatus_quo_0915/wall.html?return=http://subscribers.supermarketnews.com/retail_financial/electionsstatus_quo_0915

[Mariana]

5. So WHY were all the employees called in to read it?

Is it common practice to make the employees read every news article from Supermarket News? If not, then why were they made to read this particular one?

[slampoet]

7. and once again the Republican doesn't get fired for what they'd sack a Democrat if they did the same

[bertman]

9. The Manager does not even imply that any action will be taken against the offender.

I can hear them in the home office "goddam librul assholes. Who do they think they are?"

I'm glad you got their attention and a response but sorry that your husband got outed.

[dhpgetsit]

10. Hooray! You are a hero!

You stood up for what is right.

Lots of people have gotten hurt doing little things like that but that is absolutely the right thing to do. Take a pounding if you have to but never back down! Make noise!

[Incitatus]

11. How do you know this came from the top?

And it wasn't just your husband's manager that wanted him to read the article? Did every employee in the store have their respective department managers make them read the article?

[Celebration]

12. that is pretty much what I was thinking

I doubt that corporate Publix had anything to do with this. I bet the directive was from the particular store.

But, that is just a guess.

If so, I bet they got in trouble.

[napi21]

13. Read the email response I posted in my OP. Even the responding Mgr.

referred to it as a "memo" not a page in a magazine. I accept that what they were quoting is from a magazine, but they felt the need to put in in memo form and send it out to all their managers.

[Incitatus]

16. It looks like he said there was no memo

" it appears that the memo you referenced was actually a news article from Supermarket News. "


It looks like he is saying your husband's manager had a copy of Supermarket News and asked your husband
to read an article from it.

[napi21]

26. Reread my OP. He said "The memo". It well may have referenced

an article, but it was NOT a page in a magazine.

[VAliberal]

14. good for you

make waves - make change! bravo.

[napi21]

17. Qwll, hubby doesn't agree with you. He was off today, and

dreads going back to work tomorrow.

[SoCalDem]

20. as well he should..

:scared:..
being singled out of the "herd" can be a vulnerable place to be,. I hope he's told his union rep...:(

[JohnnyCougar]

22. Publix has no union.

[napi21]

24. Publix isn't a Union Shop. The only advantage he has is that he

is retiring this month. The worst I can see happening is that they tell him to leave immediately instead of working until 10/31. I doubt that will happen though. He really IS a very valued enployee and is needed as long as they can keep him.

[tbyg52]

32. So what's with this Supermarket News - anybody know?

I Googled them a little, but it's hard to do anything but DU on my dialup. Rightwing ownership? Kinda sounds like it. Why were they running a story saying to vote for Rethugs anyhow?