Stop & Shop Workers 'Proud' Of Strike That Led To New Deal

Stop & Shop and worker unions thanked customers for their patience during an 11-day strike that ended Sunday when both sides agreed to a tentative deal on a new contract. Workers are set to vote on the agreement this week and left the picket line to begin restocking barren shelves Monday morning.

"You may have heard of or been affected by the strike that occurred in our Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island locations," Stop & Shop wrote in an email to customers. "The strike is now over and we want to simply say, thank you... We know our customers rely on us. Our suppliers and associates are rushing fresh products to shelves and we're working hard to get ouor facilities fully restocked."

The union, meanwhile, thanked the community for their ongoing support throughout the strike, as many customers refused to cross the picket lines and shop at reopened stores while others stood in front of stores in solidarity or provided food to striking workers.

"Be proud of what you have accomplished on the line, thank your friends, neighbors and customers who signed petitions, brought food, and shared your message with the world," read a message to union members and the community on the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 328 Facebook page. "The message you sent by collectively standing up for yourselves, your families, and for good jobs, has resonated not only with the company, but all of America. Thank you for everything that you’ve done."

The strike began on April 11, when 31,000 workers across three states stopped what they were doing at 1 p.m. and walked off the job. On the first day, workers on the picket line were surprised it had come to a strike.

"This is not what anybody at the store level wanted," one employee said. "But we can't lie down, we can't give in."

Many locations reopened with replacement workers the next day, though aisles remained mostly empty in the usually-busy week leading up to the Easter and Passover holidays as shoppers chose not to cross the picket lines. According to data from the company, the number of "loyal" customers-those who generally visit the store weekly-dropped by 75 percent from April 12 to 14.

Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden were came out in support of striking workers, rallying with them on the picket lines. Boston Bruins legend Ray Bourque apologized following severe criticism for crossing the picket line in North Andover. In Connecticut, a Stop & Shop was closed after someone threatened to shoot striking workers.

Stop & Shop announced the tentative agreement on Sunday evening, and all union workers returned to stores on Monday morning. The company said the top priority is restocking stores. In a statement, Stop & Shop said the new contract includes "increased pay ... continued excellent health coverage ... (and) ongoing defined benefit pension benefits."

Individual union chapters will vote on the tentative three-year contract this week. A spokesperson for the union declined to comment on Monday, saying the union will release a statement following the vote.

Patch editor Jason Claffey contributed to this report.

Stop & Shop Strike April 11-21, 2019

• Stop & Shop Strike Over As Worker Pay Raises Approved
• Joe Biden: No Dignity Shown To Striking Stop & Shop Workers
• Stop & Shop Traffic Was Down 75 Percent During Strike: Data
• Stop & Shop: Many 'Myths' Amid Worker Strike
• Ray Bourque Says He Will Stand With Striking Stop & Shop Workers
• Elizabeth Warren Rallies With Striking Stop & Shop Workers
• Stop & Shop Apologizes To Customers As Strike Enters Day 7
• Stop & Shop Strike Day 5: Food Donated To Pantries