Higher Food Prices

Based on an article in The [Lowell] Sun the price of food could be going up.  Maybe not by much per customer, but some.  You don't think it will come out of the profits, do you?

The newspaper article, which can be found here, says that the Department of Labor (Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA, really) has proposed fines of $589,000 for Tewksbury based Demoulas Supermarkets, Inc.  That sounds like a lot of money to me.

I don't wish to dismiss the infractions the firm.  My Father made his living as a Safety Engineer, trying to prevent accidents in a Naval Shipyard.  Took a lot of work and ingenuity.  Part of that is good supervision.  Take the Demoulas at Stadium Plaza.  A couple of times I have suggested that the young men you run the powered sweepers and snow blowers in the parking lot need ear defenders of some sort, even if only foam earplugs.  Does anyone listen to me?  No.  I would even wager a small amount that the problem continues on into the winter when the snow begins to fall.

I would note that these are the same kinds of fines that OSHA is handing out to small businesses, fines that will see more private citizens up on their roofs this winter, shoveling snow and depriving local handymen of work.

Is there not a happy medium?  We need safe working places.  We need to not strangle businesses.

Regards  —  Cliff