Market Basket requests restraining order against former executives for visiting Rhode Island stores

Market Basket requests restraining order against former executives.

TEWKSBURY, M.A. — Market Basket is asking Middlesex Superior Court for a restraining order against two former executives, one of whom was reportedly seen walking into the grocery store chain’s headquarters without permission

The civil complaint filed by Market Basket accuses former Director of Operations Joe Schimdt and Grocery Director Tom Gordon of pushing employees “to slow down their work, or even walk off the job.”

The company’s Board of Directors terminated both men last month, citing insubordination, derogatory comments about the supermarket, and inappropriate interactions with colleagues.

The two men were were among multiple executives placed on paid administrative leave back in May along with Market Basket CEO Arthur T. Demoulas and two of his children. The board suspended them after allegations surfaced that Demoulas was orchestrating a companywide work stoppage.

Market Basket Director Steven Collins accused Schimdt of “breaking and entering” into Market Basket’s Tewksbury headquarters after hours using a master key they allege “he has has refused to return.”

According to the complaint, Schimdt and Gordon visited 26 Market Basket locations across three states in a six-day period. Collins alleges they used these visits to intimidate employees.

Market Basket is seeking immediate action to bar Schimdt and Gordon from entering its properties, calling their visits part of an “unlawful and escalating campaign” to disrupt operations.

The civil complaint says both men were ordered to stay off all Market Basket locations upon their suspension, with the no-trespass order having no expiration date. The board has not granted them permission to return since.

Demoulas spokesperson Justine Griffin said Schimdt’s visit to the corporate office was to return his company car. While there, she added, he briefly greeted colleagues in the warehouse and office, exchanged well wishes, and left without incident.

A hearing on Market Basket’s restraining order request is set for Thursday in Lowell Superior Court.

The dispute unfolds more than a decade after a bitter family feud nearly crippled the Tewksbury based grocery chain. In 2014, Market Basket lost millions when Demoulas was ousted by his cousin, sparking six weeks of employee protests and customer boycotts. The standoff ended with Demoulas and his siblings repurchasing the business for $1.6 billion.

Currently Demoulas’s sisters each hold 20% of the company, Demoulas owns 28%, and the remaining 12% is held in a trust for the grandchildren.