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The strike by United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1445 members started at 1:15 p.m. on Thursday, April 11) at Stop & Shop stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.’’
In response, Stop & Shop will rely on replacement workers and its automated aisles until the two sides can hammer out a deal, which hinges on employees’ complaints over healthcare, pension benefits and other concerns.
Striking workers have been walking together in picket lines outside stores.
Stop & Shop customers will likely see no change in their service, though some stores’ hours may be slightly altered. Peapod will continue to deliver, and patrons using banks or pharmacies inside Stop & Shop locations will be able to do so without interruption.
"Given those negotiations with the assistance of the federal mediators are continuing, we are disappointed that the UFCW chose to order a work stoppage in an attempt to disrupt service at our stores,” Stop & Shop officials said in a statement, noting they "have contingency plans in place to minimize disruption.”
“The men and women who make Stop & Shop a success have earned and deserve affordable health care, a good wage, and the ability to retire with dignity,” the leaders of five locals unions said in a statement. “They have earned and deserve a good job that allows them to do what they do best: provide the very best customer service for New England communities.”
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