Labor & Employment

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Va. -- The Grocery Manufacturers Association's board of directors gave the green light over the weekend to the trade association's proposed merger with another trade group, the Food Products Association.

DOVER, Del. -- A bill to allow supermarkets to sell beer in the state of Delaware has stalled in the House of Representatives' business, corporations and commerce committee, where it could stay until the legislative session ends July 1.

McLEAN, Va. -- The National Fisheries Institute (NFI) here commended congressional conferees for including $118 million in emergency appropriations for recovery and rebuilding efforts in H.R. 4939, the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act. This funding is a result of the federal Fisheries Declaration of Disaster after Hurricane Katrina in October 2005.

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. -- Golub Corp.'s Price Chopper Supermarkets here said yesterday it promoted David Golub to the position of v.p. of store operations, reporting directly to s.v.p. and general manager Connecticut Dave Hepfinger. Golub replaces Tom Strzelczyk, who left Price Chopper to pursue other opportunities.

NORWALK, Conn. -- Diageo North America said yesterday that it has named Tex McCarthy president, national accounts & sales development at the company. McCarthy succeeds Harry Bigelow, who is leaving Diageo at the end of September after 18 years.

BALTIMORE -- Ben Schuster, co-founder of the Randallstown, Md.-based supermarket chain called Food-A-Rama, died June 4 after a long illness. He was in his late eighties.

CINCINNATI-- The Kroger Co. here promoted Van Tarver to v.p. of its convenience store division, where he will oversee the chain's 791 c-stores, and its fuel procurement operation. Tarver will also oversee the company's Lancaster, Pa.-based Turkey Hill Dairy operation.

WASHINGTON -- A Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent who assisted Safeway, Inc. in shutting down a complex organized retail crime ring, has been awarded the National Retail Federation's 2006 Law Enforcement Retail Partnership Award.