Top Operating Supermarket Company Wages Economic War Against its Workers

UFCW and Stop & Shop Contract Expired Saturday at Midnight with Company Refusing to Honor Employees’ Value and Worth

Providence, RI – The contract between five United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) local unions and Stop & Shop Supermarket Company expired midnight Saturday, February 23rd, with no agreement reached as Stop & Shop refuses to honor the value and reward the hard work of its own employees. In a joint statement sent out today to over 30,000 Stop & Shop union members, the presidents of the five negotiating locals, UFCW Local 1445 (Boston, MA), UFCW Local 371 (Westport, CT), UFCW Local 328 (Providence, RI), UFCW Local 1459 (Springfield, MA) and UFCW Local 919 (Farmington, CT), said the following: 

“Stop & Shop has known for the past 3 years that our contract was set to expire on February 23rd.  But because of their continued corporate greed throughout these negotiations, Stop & Shop employees and customers now find themselves in a position where job actions may take place.”

UFCW Local 1445 will be the first of the five locals to hold a strike authorization vote and will meet with their Stop & Shop members today, February 24th. If passed, a strike authorization will allow the local to call for a strike of its Stop & Shop members at any time. Meanwhile, all five UFCW locals are asking their members to continue working as negotiations proceed.

Despite being the number one supermarket operator in New England and its parent company, Ahold Delhaize, seeing $74 billion in net sales last year, Stop & Shop negotiators have only proposed cuts to workers benefits and take-home pay while increasing automation that will cause job loss. UFCW maintains that Stop & Shop workers work hard every day to make their stores profitable and have earned and deserve a share in that success. Furthermore, multi-million-dollar store renovations and great customer service cannot happen without a workforce that is both valued and respected.

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UFCW Locals 328, 919, 1459, 1445, and 371, representing more than 30,000 Stop & Shop workers in over 200 stores throughout Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, have been actively engaging in negotiations with Stop & Shop representatives since January 14th