As part of ongoing contract negotiations, 10,000 union Stop & Shop employees have voted to authorize a strike.
The three-year contract for nearly 10,000 United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1445 Stop & Shop members recently expired, and both sides remain far apart on a number of important economic issues such as healthcare, pensions, and wages, according to union officials. There is no timeline on the strike, as both sides are still at the negotiating table, according to Jim Carvalho, Local 1445’s political director.
“The strike is always something that is a last resort,” he said.
Stop & Shop, which has over 200 stores in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, is currently bargaining with five local unions over the same contract. Those five unions represent approximately 35,000 employees.
The company released a statement in response to the vote authorizing the strike, saying that the four other unions have delayed their strike vote and “continue to negotiate in good faith” but that it will continue to negotiate with Local 1445. According to Stop & Shop, the company has offered increased pay, generous paid time-off, rich health care benefits with associate premiums that are significantly less than market averages and will maintain contributions to the pension plan. The company also noted that a vote does not necessarily mean a strike will happen and it has a history of negotiating contracts without any disruption to customer service.
