Market Basket fired the executives, Joe Schmidt and Tom Gordon, claiming they worked to spark a widespread work disruption to help protect chief executive Arthur T. Demoulas.

In a statement, Market Basket board of directors said the terminations came as a result of a recent internal investigation that found the two supervisors engaged in “insubordination, making false and derogatory remarks about the company and people associated with it, and inappropriate communications with colleagues.”

According to the Market Basket Board of Directors, both Schmidt and Gordon were fired for making false and derogatory remarks about the company and people associated with it, and inappropriate communications with colleagues.