The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-11-01
A. &P. EXPLAINS
 CLEVELAND CASE
Official Statement Given on Closing of
 Stores

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company makes the following an- nouncement about the closing of A &s P stores in Cleveland. The company wants to make 1t clear at the outset that. the diffi- culty was not between the A 6 P and its employees. It's employees were not discontented. The trouble arose after the Cleveland Federa- tion of Labor had failed to organ ize Cleveland A & P managers and clerks. As far as A & F knows only Cleveland employees had shown any interest in the proposed union. Nevertheless numerous Cleveland unions, none of whom represent ed A & P employees, picketed A & cries to the stores.
 "The only demand made on A G P came after the picketing began. The union leaders then demanded that the A & P unionize it's em- ployes in Cleveland 100 per cent. In view of the extremely small number who had showed any ifl- terest in the proposals of the labor organizers, A & P refused to take an active part in the coercion of it's 2200 men by a mere handful. At a mass meeting of A & P man. agers and clerks held in Cleveland yesterday it was said that the Fed eration had been able to interest only 70 men.
 "Efforts to maintain business op- erations in the face of this pie keting led to violence because the stores did not obtain the necessary protection from the city. After more than a week of continuous appeals to the various local au- thorities without result. officials of the company decided to abandon prevent further violence" Yesterday 700 of A & P,s former Cleveland employees held . meeting on their own initiative and signed a petition to Mayor Davis of Cleveland reading as follows: I've, the undersigned, being managers and, clerks of the stores operated by The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Com pany in Greater Cleveland, hereby present to the public our side of the controversy which has resulted in the clos ing of the A & P stores. We never at any time have had any trouble with our em- ployer as to our salaries or working conditions, and there has never been any coercion
 on the part of the company
 as to collective bargaining; and
 we feel that an injustice has been done, both the the com pany and to ourselves, by the order to close the stores.
 We stand ready to serve the public and our company with the same loyalty as we have
 done in the past.
 I've do solemnly swear that the foregoing statements are
 true and that our signatures
 shown below are true and gen. uine."
 That petition was signed by 700 I former employees. MT. Joseph D. i Hostetler. who presided at this meeting yesterday, said:
 "How can 40 men represent 2,20O men and put 2,160 out of work? We have had a very happy A & P family in Cleveland. How can we let some organization that . has never consulted us put us out of work? Gentlemen, this is our bread and butter"
 Another petition of former A & P employees is pertinent This pe- | tition read in part as follows: 'sWe believe the tactis of the
 A. F. of L., together with the
 indifference of the Police De- partment and the city govern
 ment. are entirely responsible
 for the action taken by the A
 6 F in leaving the city. putting
 2.200 people out of work, and
 a large part of them and their
 families on the charity list"
 The Great Atlantic & Pacific
 Tea Company deeply regrets that it was forced to end
 pleasant relationship with the Cleveland public that had lasted fifty years and to dis miss loyal employees in whom 1t was deeply interested"