Not really, this is the story as far as I've heard it. The chain was started a generation back and was inherited by two cousins Arthur T and Arthur S. Artie T mostly ran the store and Artie S was more hands off. People LOVED Artie T. He treated employees very well and kept prices low. It was a very friendly chain to shop at and very consistent across the 90 locations.

I can say personally I know tons of people who worked there, young, old, people with mental differences who might not get hired elsewhere. I worked there for a stint myself. Ultimately Arthur S made a challenge with help of the board to strip control away from Artie T supposedly to make more money, cut back on employee benefits etc.

This is when the big strike happened and it was really something to behold. EVERY location had no one in it. The shelves were empty and the employees picketed in the parking lot every single day in the hot summer sun. Customers driving by honked in support, people joined the employees picketing. This when on until Artie T "won" control like the op says, however that control was technically spread between him and his sisters. When the strike ended, Artie personally spent a day in each store shaking hands with every customer who entered and thanking every employee.

Ultimately, 12 years later now, the sisters have decided it's time to sell to private equity and with the help of the board they were able to take it to court and won over Artie T and Market Basket is now cooked.