Arthur T. Demoulas, the once and future CEO of the Market Basket chain, addressed hundreds of employees protesting on his behalf Thursday in Tewksbury, thanking them for their loyalty after striking a $1.5 billion deal to purchase the half of the company controlled by his cousin, Arthur S. Demoulas.
"You have taught educators, professors, analysts, and CEOs that the workplace here at Market Basket is so much more than just a job," he told the crowd.
Speaking carefully and steadily, with a hint of emotion, Arthur T. called the assembled protesting employees "insurgents." He spoke from a podium sitting atop a pickup truck, accompanied by a stuffed giraffe, which had become a symbol of the protest, embodying the workers sticking their necks out for their ousted CEO. One man in the crowd shouted, "We did it for you!" Others shouted, "We love you!" At least one person in the crowd burst in to tears.
"Because of you, I stand here with a renewed vigor and sense of purpose," he said.
Arthur T. said he felt a "social obligation and moral responsibility" to protect Market Basket's corporate culture, and to provide "honorable" place to work.
"No one person is more important than another, and no one person holds a position of privilege," he said. "From the sacker to the vendor to the CEO, we are all equal."
Arthur T. hugged people in the crowd after leaving the podium to the crowd chanting "Artie T."
"You're one of a kind," he said. "Let's have some fun."
One worker in the crowd said he couldn't wait to get back to work.
"I'll work all the overtime they want," he said. "I need it at this point."
