The drama in the Market Basket standoff forced the company to issue an unusual statement today. The new co-CEOs ordered all store directors to make sure workers know they are still employees and they have not been laid off. At the same time, co-CEO Felicia Thornton instructed store directors to reduce hours of its workforce to meet appropriate staffing levels for its stores. All this comes as some workers are in their third week of walking off their jobs in support of ousted CEO Arthur T. Demoulas.

Forty-year-old Benton Killen lives just a few miles from the picket line at the Market Basket Tewksbury headquarters. He’s a tall, thin guy who's held a steady job in the warehouse. On yet another day off, he's wearing a t-shirt and a five o'clock shadow. He lives in Lowell, in a condo, with his wife, Renee.

“We have four girls between us, ranging from age 2 to 20 and I’ve been working at Market Basket about five years now, putting all the orders together on a pallet and wrapping them up, getting them ready to ship out,” Killen said.

Killen hasn’t seen a paycheck in three weeks. His wife is a nanny. He says they haven’t had to dip into savings — yet.

“I will, towards the end of the month, when the mortgage is due," he said. "You definitely feel the squeeze with the finances, but it’s just a short time in life. You know, like we all have peaks and valleys.”

It’s an optimistic attitude for someone whose job — and employer — is in jeopardy. Killen spends several hours a day on the picket line at Market Basket headquarters, and says he and his fellow coworkers are eager for the board of directors to settle the details of the company’s ownership.

“A lot of them are at the end of their rope, but they’re just hanging on because we’ve been in it together for so long — so why back down now?" he said. "Once we get back in, I think there will be enough overtime to make up our money. Because it will be pretty much like opening 71 new stores again, but all at once.”

Other Market Basket employees stand in front of their grocery stores, asking customers to shop elsewhere. It’s another bold move, as there’s no guarantee the stores will reopen. They’re losing millions of dollars a day. But Killen echoes the familiar talk that Market Basket employees are like family, worth fighting for — just as he worries about his own at home.