Involved are 40,000 employees, five unions, two federal mediators, as well as the number one bargaining representative in the country and 40 union reps.
From the New Haven Register:
Stop & Shop and the union representing about 40,000 supermarket workers in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island have extended negotiations for a week, but the union is preparing for a possible strike.
Brian Petronella, Vice President of the union’s Local 371 in Connecticut, said the two parties are far apart on wages, health care and pensions. He would not be specific. He said union locals are scheduling votes authorizing a strike if needed.
Tell Stop and Shop they need to give workers a fair deal
The UFCW says that advertising their jobs for more is "an insult".
In a telephone interview, Macey called Stop & Shop's actions a "slap in the face" because the UFCW has yet to take a strike vote.
Stop & Shop is offering full-time positions for $15 an hour, and part-time positions for $12 per hour, which is more than the starting salaries that union employees currently make, according to Scott L. Macey, the president of UFCW Local 1459, which represents some 2,000 employees at 17 Stop & Shop supermarkets in the four counties of Western Massachusetts.
"Advertising your jobs when we never even threatened a job action is an insult," Macey wrote in a statement that was posted on Local 1459's Web site.
From Brian A. Petronella Vice President of Local 371 U.F.C.W. (Connecticut)
Don't be Fooled by Stop and Shop
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Some of you may have seen a letter from Company President Mark McGowan, asking you to accept Stop and Shop’s wage and benefit proposal for what it calls "fair and competitive wages." Don’t be fooled.
First, Stop and Shop hasn’t made a Final Offer for wages and benefits, and we intend to keep negotiating until we get the best possible offer for our members. The Offer on the table is unacceptable.
Stop and Shop is among the most profitable companies in the grocery business. During the first half of last year, the Company had net sales of 9.4 BILLION dollars, an increase of over 26 MILLION dollars. Operating Income was 442 MILLION dollars, up 115 MILLION dollars from the same period in 2008. And Stop and Shop’s market share is also up over the same period. There’s NO REASON to demand concessions from YOU, the folks that have made this company so profitable.
But concessions are what they’re demanding. Under the current Company proposal, premium pay for holidays and Sundays would be reduced. Under the current Company proposal, full-timer health insurance premium costs would more than DOUBLE in the first year alone, and part-timers would begin paying about 10% per month. And as health insurance costs increase, there would be NO CAP on these payments!
Even worse, the Company is offering a wage package that, for most of us, would be swallowed up by increased health care payments. The current offer is worth less than what Stop and Shop takes in a few days!
Mr. McGowan has no business comparing Stop and Shop employees to non-union competitors. We are the face of the Company, and we’re entitled to a fair share of the Company’s success.
Keep those numbers in mind as the next days unfold.
In Solidarity,
Brian A. Petronella
International Vice Presidnt
President, UFCW Local 371
It wouldn't break the bank to share -
To put Stop & Shop's profits in perspective, Ahold, Stop & Shop's parent company, could give each of its 45,000 unionized full and part-time workers over $11,000 in cash and still enjoy a profit of $600 million.
I go out of my way to shop at Stop and Shop, even though Big Y (non-union) has just built a place that's more convenient. If Stop and Shop can't respect their workers, why should I respect them?