Why I Will Continue to Shop at Shaws

– Allison Goldsberry

I finally encountered some of the strikers last week when I was attempting to pick my sister up from work at the Medford Shaws. There were two groups of strikers blocking both entrances to the store on Locust Street, which is completely ridiculous, obnoxious, and unsafe. They swore at me (F— You!) when I beeped my horn so I could get through them into the parking lot. Nice! Not surprising, however, because many of the strikers are not Shaws employees at all but are Teamsters, nurses, and other union bullies who quite frankly don’t have a dog in this fight but are more than happy to cause a public disturbance.

The cops were at the Medford Shaws that day but in my opinion weren’t doing anything to make the situation safe and were just talking and joking with the strikers. The cops left and did not make the strikers move. I know they have a right to demonstrate, but it’s not safe to stand in a line and block a travel lane for vehicles and I don’t think it’s right that the police let this go on and did not attempt to create a safer (and less publicly harassing) alternative for the strikers. Just as these strikers have a right to demonstrate publicly, the public has a right to shop wherever they want and to drive into a parking lot without being blocked and harassed.

Many Medford residents work at Shaws and need our support. I will continue to shop at the Medford Shaws despite the public nuisance being created by a handful of union goons. There are plenty of Shaws employees, including my mother and sister, who work hard everyday and are just trying to do their jobs, and these strikers are harassing the employees and the public, and I don’t see how that is helping their cause.