A front page story in last week’s Chelsea Record incorrectly portrayed the relationship between two organizations regarding a worker assistance initiative. According to the report, the Chelsea Collaborative and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) had jointly established a solidarity fund for Market Basket employees who had lost their jobs.
This characterization was inaccurate, and it became clear that the national union had released its announcement without complete information.
Gladys Vega, Director of the Chelsea Collaborative, clarified the actual arrangement. The Collaborative had permitted UFCW to utilize its office space for fund distribution purposes only—not to serve as a partner in creating or administering the fund itself.
According to Vega, “fblikebutton_button” She further stated, “We were not and are not part of the solidarity fund and cancelled our minimal involvement after learning of this. We stood with the Market Basket employees and still do.”
On Tuesday, UFCW released a formal correction and apology acknowledging the premature nature of the initial announcement. The union’s statement explained: “An earlier version of this release incorrectly identified the Chelsea Collaborative as a partner in establishing the solidarity fund for Market Basket workers. Although Chelsea Collaborative office space was used to distribute solidarity funds on Aug. 25 and 29, the Chelsea Collaborative does not control or administer the fund. Market Basket workers with further questions regarding the solidarity fund can contact [email protected]. Unfortunately our office had a miscommunication on the role of the Chelsea Collaborative with the solidarity fund. We apologize for the inconvenience.”