UFCW Local 371 Members Stand Together for a Better Stop & Shop
Westport, CT – On Wednesday, March 6th, members of the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 371 union, who work at Stop & Shop stores in Connecticut and western Massachusetts, made the unanimous decision to vote in favor of a strike authorization, which will allow the union’s negotiation committee to call for its members to strike Stop & Shop at any time during the current negotiation process.
“We hope that yesterday’s decision will send a clear message that our union family is committed to making Stop & Shop a better place to work and shop. The cuts that Stop & Shop are proposing not only hurt workers, but will also affect the customer service and shopping experience our communities have come to know and appreciate,” said UFCW Local 371 President Tom Wilkinson.
UFCW 371, along with 4 other New England UFCW unions collectively representing over 30,000 Stop & Shop workers, has been in contract negotiations with Stop & Shop since January 14th, however the company has only proposed drastic cuts to workers take home pay and benefits thus far.
Cuts in benefits will cause turnover to increase, which impacts store productivity and consistency of service. In an increasingly competitive retail industry, providing a good customer experience is critical to a store’s success. The level of service that Stop & Shop customers have come to expect is the reason that the company is the top supermarket operator in New England and UFCW Local 371 is committed to ensuring that its members are able to maintain that level of success.