Rhode Island Stop & Shop Workers Poised To Vote On Contract

Stop & Shop Union workers are set to vote on a tentative, three-year contract on Monday. All union members are encouraged to attend one of the two sessions. The tentative deal, reached on Easter Sunday, ended an 11-day strike after union workers walked off the job on April 11.

Monday's meetings are being held at Ambrosia's Weddings and Events on Washington Street in Foxboro. The union spokesperson declined to comment on the new contract until the votes were cast.

Union workers went on strike on April 11 after several months of contract negotiations broke down. According to an estimate from the company's parent company, Stop & Shop lost $100 million during the strike.

In Rhode Island, most stores reopened with skeleton crews of replacement workers, with butcher shops, deli counters and bake shops remaining shuttered for the duration of the strike. Customers overwhelmingly supported striking workers, with many refusing to cross picket lines shop in reopened stores.

A statement from Stop & Shop said the new contract includes "increased pay ... continued excellent health coverage ... (and) ongoing defined benefit pension benefits."

Union workers returned to work on April 22, despite the tentative agreement not being ratified.

"If they vote yes on the agreement, the protest will officially end," read a statement released by the union at the time. "In the meantime, while we wait on these meetings to be scheduled, our members WILL return to work tomorrow. This is a very positive development."

Patch's full coverage of the Stop & Shop strike:

• Stop & Shop Lost $100 Million During Strike
• Stop & Shop Traffic Down 75 Percent During Strike: Data
• Stop & Shop Strike Over As Worker Pay Raises Approved
• Stop & Shop: Many 'Myths' Amid Worker Strike
• Stop & Shop Apologizes To Customers As Strike Enters Day 7
• Stop & Shop Strike Day 5: Food Donated To Pantries
• Stop & Shop Strike Day 2: Some Stores Reopen
• Stop & Shop Strike Detours 17 RIPTA Routes
• Rhode Island Stop & Shop Workers Go On Strike