A union contract for 31,500 Stop & Shop workers in New England expired on Saturday after negotiations over the last month failed to produce a new labor agreement.
Affected workers are being represented in negotiations by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), which covers 200 stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
On Sunday, the overwhelming majority of 10,000 Stop & Shop workers in Massachusetts voted to authorize a strike over the labor fallout. Local chapters in Connecticut and Rhode Island, however, have not voted on whether to go on strike, stating they are still committed to the negotiation process.
The Mass.-based grocery retailer, which has 400-plus locations, has been negotiating with UFCW over the last month. UFCW claims that negotiations have broken down over efforts by the supermarket, owned by Netherlands-based Ahold, to cut workers’ benefits.
In response, UFCW has launched a series of digital ads asking customers and workers to tell Stop & Shop to agree to fair terms for employees.
Customers in an ad criticized the supermarket for cutting employee hours and replacing workers with self-checkout machines.
Stop & Shop has said it’s committed to inking a new contract that provides competitive wages, affordable health care for eligible workers and sustainable retirement benefits.