At midnight last night, the contract for 43,000 workers at over 230 Stop & Shop stores expired threatening a massive New England wide grocery store strike.
The workers, represented by several locals of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, have already authorized a strike in order to pressure the Dutch conglomerate Royal Ahold NV which owns Stop & Shop to stop their demands of slashing affordable health care benefits.
If there is a strike this week, there are three important things that you can do to help: first, do NOT cross the picket line and shop at Stop & Shop (shop at Shaw's instead); second, tell all of your friends and family to NOT cross the picket line either; third, go to your local Stop & Shop and pick up a sign and join the strikers for an hour or two.
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And, right now, you please take 30 seconds and click here to send a free fax to Stop & Shop CEO Jose Alvarez urging him to negotiate a fair contract.
The members of Local 328, which represents about 10,000 Stop & Shop workers in Rhode Island, and Local 1445, which represents about 12,000 workers in Massachusetts, will meet today on the strike vote, said James Riley, secretary-treasurer of United Food & Commercial Workers Local 328.
"We’re not going to take the strike vote and then take to the streets," Riley said.
Instead, talks are scheduled to resume Tuesday, said Riley. The statement was also confirmed by Stop & Shop spokeswoman Faith Weiner.
The union ran an ad in today's BeloJo:
ATTENTION:
To the Loyal Customers of Stop & Shop Supermarkets
PLEASE HELP SAVE OUR JOBS
As you may know, the hard working employees of Stop & Shop are currently negotiating to get a fair and equitable contract with Stop & Shop Supermarket Company. Our livelihood depends upon Stop & Shop treating us fairly in these negotiations. The primary issues facing us in the contract are:
* Quality, Affordable Healthcare
* Fair Wage Increases
* Continued Funding of our Defined Benefit Pension Plan
* Maintenance of Current Sick Benefits
The hard working employees have always been there for the Stop & Shop Companies. In the past, we have made sacrifices in our contracts, including increasing the number of years (from 1 year to 3 years) that a part-time employee must work in order to be eligible for health benefits. These sacrifices have helped to make Stop & Shop the #1 Supermarket in New England.
When Stop & Shop was an American-owned company, they cared about their employees. Now that they are owned by a FOREIGN CORPORATION, they only care about the bottom line. Even though they are highly profitable, they don't want the share the profits with their employees.
We, the employees of Stop & Shop, are hard working men and women just like YOU! Please join us in telling Stop & Shop that you SUPPORT THEIR EMPLOYEES!! The next time you are shopping at Stop & Shop, please tell the store manager that if the employees of Stop & Shop are forced to go out on strike, you will NOT cross the picket line to shop in their store.
Thank You.
From the Loyal Employees of Stop & Shop Supermarkets