Rhode Island Stop & Shop Workers Go On Strike

Thousands of Stop and Shop employees across the region are on strike Thursday after their union and the company failed to reach a contract agreement. At 1 p.m., workers in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut walked off the job. The workers are represented by the United Food & Commercial Workers Locals 1445, 328, 371, 919 and 1459.

"We could be here 10 minutes, 10 days, or 10 weeks," said Peter, a 32-year veteran Stop and Shop employee who asked to only be called by his first name. "This is all pretty surreal-it's like the twilight zone."

Employees on the picket line in Cranston said the strike isn't about store-level issues between union members and management, rather the issue lies with the larger company.

"This is not what anybody at the store level wanted," Peter said, adding that while management at their store has not openly commented or supported the strike, they seem to be sympathetic to the union's struggles to negotiate what they believe to be a fair contract.

After the employees walked out, management locked the doors to the Cranston store, which is not currently open to the public. In a statement, Stop and Shop corporate said they were "disappointed" in the strike.

"Given that negotiations with assistance of the federal mediators are continuing, we are disappointed that the UFCW chose to order a work stoppage in an attempt to disrupt service at our stores," the statement read in part. "Stop & Shop has contingency plans in place to minimize disruption."

Peter and other employees said that contract negotiations in recent years have gotten increasingly worse, with cuts to pension, healthcare and more.

"They're asking us to pay more for healthcare, which means live on less money," Peter said.

While disagreements over negotiations have become commonplace, most employees were shocked that things made it this far.

"They tend to come to a compromise that both sides can agree to," another employee said.

With no one knowing how long the strike will last, employees are worried about their livelihood.

"I have a lot to thank Stop and Shop for, but as long as we're on strike I have no income, and I have a mortgage," Peter said. "But we can't lie down, we can't give in."