The Stop and Shop logo. Image from the Stop and Shop website.
by Gabriel Sathler and Devin Sullivan
On April 22nd, 2019, after a little over 3 months of debate, Stop & Shop finally came to an agreement with the 31,000 workers who were on strike for 11 days straight after the supermarket giant proposed a contract. This contract would eliminate premium pay on national holidays, eliminate any and all raises, reduce contribution to pensions (retirement funds), and increase employee healthcare costs. Employees, feeling disrespected, formed a strike, which was backed by the United Food & Commercial Workers Union Local 1445 (UFCW).
When asked about his personal opinion of the strike, Malden Mayor Gary Christenson stated that “[he] would always hope that labor and management could reach an agreement that is mutually acceptable to both sides, but short of that [he] respect[s] when workers advocate for better working conditions.” Massachusetts State Senator Jason Lewis also gave his opinion of the strike on his twitter, stating that “organized labor is a vital way for workers to make their voices heard.”
Stop & Shop announced a public apology to their many customers through an email stating they were sorry about the ‘inconvenience’ that customers faced during the 11 day strike. Officials state that this strike cost Stop & Shop an estimated $100 Million in losses.
Currently, Stop & Shop has refused to announce the exact terms that were agreed upon, yet we can assume that it was in favor of the workers because, since the strike officially ended, Stop & Shop’s all around the country have been filled back up and are close to returning to normal operations.
