Stop & Shop union members ratify new contracts
By News Staff
A new union contract for 35,000 Stop & Shop workers has been ratified after months of protesting and negotiating.
This week, union members in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut came together in a series of union meetings to vote and ratify their contracts.
The new contracts secure pay increases and help new full-time employees earn $15 an hour more quickly, maintain pension contribution levels, and maintain current out-of-pocket costs for healthcare.
Also, the company has agreed to increase the total number of full-time jobs by 480 over the next three years.
This contract establishes the first Labor-Management Committees at Stop & Shop, giving employees and management a forum to come together to make decisions.
The New England Council of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union made the following statement after the contracts were ratified:
“The UFCW has a long history of working in partnership with Stop & Shop to ensure that people who work hard in these stores can earn better wages and a better life. Today, by standing together, our members ratified a contract that will continue that tradition.
“This contract is a powerful measure of what our union family can truly achieve when hard-working men and women come together and stand together. This is also a victory for Stop & Shop customers, whose support throughout our negotiations sent a powerful message that they value employers and companies who treat their employees and their families right.
“Over these many long days and weeks, as we have worked hard to negotiate a better life for our members and their families, our New England bargaining committee has drawn real strength from the support of their customers, their communities, and our entire UFCW family who have stood with us. We will never forget what you have done for us, and we look forward to seeing you in our stores with an even bigger smile.”
(C) WLNE-TV 2016
