Stop & Shop: Many 'Myths' Amid Worker Strike

One week into the union worker's strike, Stop & Shop released a statement on contract negotiations, saying there has been plenty of misinformation about the proposed contracts. In a "Myth vs. Fact" flyer and a document explaining the wage proposal, the company broke down, point by point, their side of negotiations.

"Over the past several days, we’ve seen some information being shared that is not accurate. We want to ensure that you have the facts for each element of our proposal," read a statement send to media Tuesday evening. Since Tuesday, the a spokesperson for the company has started providing daily evening media updates.

In a document titled "Myth vs. Fact" the company broke down individual points of their proposed contract, explaining why myths about the contract are, as they put it, misleading or false.

The first discusses healthcare, which several workers on the picket line pointed to as a main cause of the strike.

The myth vs. fact breakdown addresses the key points of the contract negotiations, including healthcare, pensions, wages and paid time off.

"Myth: Stop & Shop is requesting unfair increases in the amounts associates pay for health care coverage," the document reads, before calling the statement misleading. "Eligible Stop & Shop associates would still pay well below the national average for health premiums."

A second document give more detail on the company's wage proposals, which they said is "among the best UFCW retail contracts in the country." According to Stop & Shop, the wage proposal includes pay raises for all workers and does not change Sunday time-and-a-half policies. The document does not comment on changes to holiday pay policies for certain employees, which has been another sticking point on the picket line. Finally, Stop & Shop said there would be less than 100 employees out of 31,000 across New England who would receive a bonus instead of a wage increase with the new contract. The document did not say which employees would receive a bonus, or why.

At 1 p.m. Thursday, workers will officially have been on strike for a full week, having walked off the job at that time on April 11. Workers have faithfully held the picket line since then, calling on customers to not shop at reopened stores during the strike.

Customers have been largely supportive of the striking workers, honking their car horns and cheering as they drove by picket lines and bringing for to workers.

On Thursday, former vice president Joe Biden is expected to attend a massive rally at a Dorchester, Massachusetts store.

"Without us, these stores are empty," wrote a post accompanying a video of abandoned aisles on the strike's Facebook page. "It doesn't have to be this way. Share this video so we can get back to doing what we love: serving you."

The video shows barren shelves where produce is usually stocked. A spokesperson for Stop and Shop said Monday that the company has been working with local food banks around the region to donate as much perishable food as possible to reduce food waste.

READ MORE:

• 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