Stop & Shop, UFCW Reach Tentative Deal, End Strike

PROVIDENCE — Sunday night, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) and Stop & Shop announced a tentative agreement on a new contract for 31,000 Stop & Shop workers following a 10-day strike over pension and health benefits.

“Under this proposed contract, our members will be able to focus on continuing to help customers in our communities enjoy the best shopping experience possible and to keep Stop & Shop the number one grocery store in New England. The agreement preserves health care and retirement benefits, provides wage increases, and maintains time-and-a-half pay on Sunday for current members,” the union said in a joint statement prepared by the five local union presidents.

We are very pleased to announce Stop & Shop has reached fair new tentative agreements with UFCW Locals 328, 371, 919, 1445 and 1459, which represent our 31,000 associates in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. We’re also glad to have our associates return to work as the strike has ended,” said Jennifer Brogan

Director of External Communications & Community Relations at Stop & Shop.

The tentative three-year agreements, which are subject to ratification votes by members of each of the union locals, include:

• Increased pay for all associates;
• Continued excellent health coverage for eligible associates; and
• Ongoing defined benefit pension benefits for all eligible associates.

Jessica Raimundo, spokesperson for the union, declined to offer additional details on the agreement until union members are given an opportunity to review the new offer.

“We are incredibly grateful to our customers and everyone who proudly stood together with us every day for a contract that invests in the communities we serve, and makes Stop & Shop a better place to work and a better place to shop,” the union statement read.

“Our associates’ top priority will be restocking our stores so we can return to taking care of our customers and communities and providing them with the service they deserve. We deeply appreciate the patience and understanding of our customers during this time, and we look forward to welcoming them back to Stop & Shop,” Brogan said.

“Today is a powerful victory for the 31,000 hardworking men and women of Stop & Shop who courageously stood up to fight for what all New Englanders want – good jobs, affordable health care, a better wage, and to be treated right by the company they made a success,” the union stated in their announcement.