Remaining Stop & Shop Union Locals Endorse Strike

The United Food and Commercial Workers Locals 328, 371, 1445, 1459, and 919, which collectively represent more than 31,000 Stop & Shop employees in New England, have now all authorized a strike following Sunday night’s final round of membership meetings, during which members of the remaining three locals voted in favor of strike authorizations.

"It is clear that over 31,000 hard-working Stop & Shop employees want to be able to provide the very best service for their customers in New England while still being able to provide for their families. However, Stop & Shop has continued to propose contracts that make that impossible," union officials said in a statement issued Monday afternoon.

Three major differences are take-home pay, health care and retirement benefits, union officials said.

Here is a summary of the negotiations, according to the union:

• Stop & Shop workers in New England and have been in negotiations with the supermarket chain since Jan. 14.
• The current contract expired on Feb. 23.

• Members of UFCW Locals 1459, 328, and 919 voted in favor of a strike authorization on Sunday, March 10, joining Locals 1445 and 371, whose members had already held similar votes.
• A strike authorization allows local union leadership to call for a strike at any moment going forward during the negotiation process.

The last time Stop & Shop employees went on strike was in March 1988.

Stop & Shop officials have maintained that full-timers are the highest-paid supermarket workers in the region.

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