Stop & Shop workers strike outside of one of the grocery stores on April 20, 2019 in Westport, Connecticut. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Apr 22, 2019
The union representing tens of thousands of striking Stop & Shop workers declared victory Sunday after it reached a tentative agreement with management to increase wages and preserve employee benefits that were under threat.
"The people, united, will never be defeated. Thank you to the Stop & Shop workers for your sacrifices and all those who showed up in solidarity."
--Rep. Ayanna Pressley
"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 healthcare, a better wage, and to be treated right by the company they made a success," the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) said in a statement.
The deal brings to an end the largest private-sector strike in years, which lasted 11 days and spanned three New England states. The walk-out began as a protest against Stop & Shop's effort to slash benefits and increase employees' healthcare costs.
Union members--who are expected to return to work Monday--will soon vote on whether to approve the three-year agreement, which reportedly raises wages, preserves retirement and healthcare benefits, and upholds time-and-a-half pay on Sundays.
\u201c#StopAndShopWorkers sent a message to their company by collectively standing up for themselves, their families, & good jobs, that resonated not only w/ the company, but all of America. Thank you to hardworking members at Stop & Shop for all you\u2019ve done! https://t.co/rZSwXchIXB\u201d— UFCW (@UFCW) 1555895711
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a 2020 presidential candidate who joined striking Stop & Shop workers on the picket line earlier this month, celebrated the tentative deal in a tweet on Sunday.
"When workers fight, workers win," the senator wrote. "I'm glad to see that Stop & Shop workers are returning to work with an agreement for higher wages and continued health and pension benefits."
\u201cWhen workers fight, workers win. I\u2019m glad to see that @StopandShop workers are returning to work with an agreement for higher wages and continued health and pension benefits. #UnionStrong\nhttps://t.co/0EITKXyMGd\u201d— Elizabeth Warren (@Elizabeth Warren) 1555897539
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) echoed Warren, tweeting: "The people, united, will never be defeated. Thank you to the Stop & Shop workers for your sacrifices and all those who showed up in solidarity."
The agreement came as the strike's major impact on Stop & Shop operations was becoming more evident by the day.
As the Boston Globereported, "visits to the grocery chain by regular customers dropped by a whopping 75 percent" in the first few days of the walk-out.
"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," said UFCW.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The union representing tens of thousands of striking Stop & Shop workers declared victory Sunday after it reached a tentative agreement with management to increase wages and preserve employee benefits that were under threat.
"The people, united, will never be defeated. Thank you to the Stop & Shop workers for your sacrifices and all those who showed up in solidarity."
--Rep. Ayanna Pressley
"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 healthcare, a better wage, and to be treated right by the company they made a success," the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) said in a statement.
The deal brings to an end the largest private-sector strike in years, which lasted 11 days and spanned three New England states. The walk-out began as a protest against Stop & Shop's effort to slash benefits and increase employees' healthcare costs.
Union members--who are expected to return to work Monday--will soon vote on whether to approve the three-year agreement, which reportedly raises wages, preserves retirement and healthcare benefits, and upholds time-and-a-half pay on Sundays.
\u201c#StopAndShopWorkers sent a message to their company by collectively standing up for themselves, their families, & good jobs, that resonated not only w/ the company, but all of America. Thank you to hardworking members at Stop & Shop for all you\u2019ve done! https://t.co/rZSwXchIXB\u201d— UFCW (@UFCW) 1555895711
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a 2020 presidential candidate who joined striking Stop & Shop workers on the picket line earlier this month, celebrated the tentative deal in a tweet on Sunday.
"When workers fight, workers win," the senator wrote. "I'm glad to see that Stop & Shop workers are returning to work with an agreement for higher wages and continued health and pension benefits."
\u201cWhen workers fight, workers win. I\u2019m glad to see that @StopandShop workers are returning to work with an agreement for higher wages and continued health and pension benefits. #UnionStrong\nhttps://t.co/0EITKXyMGd\u201d— Elizabeth Warren (@Elizabeth Warren) 1555897539
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) echoed Warren, tweeting: "The people, united, will never be defeated. Thank you to the Stop & Shop workers for your sacrifices and all those who showed up in solidarity."
The agreement came as the strike's major impact on Stop & Shop operations was becoming more evident by the day.
As the Boston Globereported, "visits to the grocery chain by regular customers dropped by a whopping 75 percent" in the first few days of the walk-out.
"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," said UFCW.
The union representing tens of thousands of striking Stop & Shop workers declared victory Sunday after it reached a tentative agreement with management to increase wages and preserve employee benefits that were under threat.
"The people, united, will never be defeated. Thank you to the Stop & Shop workers for your sacrifices and all those who showed up in solidarity."
--Rep. Ayanna Pressley
"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 healthcare, a better wage, and to be treated right by the company they made a success," the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) said in a statement.
The deal brings to an end the largest private-sector strike in years, which lasted 11 days and spanned three New England states. The walk-out began as a protest against Stop & Shop's effort to slash benefits and increase employees' healthcare costs.
Union members--who are expected to return to work Monday--will soon vote on whether to approve the three-year agreement, which reportedly raises wages, preserves retirement and healthcare benefits, and upholds time-and-a-half pay on Sundays.
\u201c#StopAndShopWorkers sent a message to their company by collectively standing up for themselves, their families, & good jobs, that resonated not only w/ the company, but all of America. Thank you to hardworking members at Stop & Shop for all you\u2019ve done! https://t.co/rZSwXchIXB\u201d— UFCW (@UFCW) 1555895711
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a 2020 presidential candidate who joined striking Stop & Shop workers on the picket line earlier this month, celebrated the tentative deal in a tweet on Sunday.
"When workers fight, workers win," the senator wrote. "I'm glad to see that Stop & Shop workers are returning to work with an agreement for higher wages and continued health and pension benefits."
\u201cWhen workers fight, workers win. I\u2019m glad to see that @StopandShop workers are returning to work with an agreement for higher wages and continued health and pension benefits. #UnionStrong\nhttps://t.co/0EITKXyMGd\u201d— Elizabeth Warren (@Elizabeth Warren) 1555897539
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) echoed Warren, tweeting: "The people, united, will never be defeated. Thank you to the Stop & Shop workers for your sacrifices and all those who showed up in solidarity."
The agreement came as the strike's major impact on Stop & Shop operations was becoming more evident by the day.
As the Boston Globereported, "visits to the grocery chain by regular customers dropped by a whopping 75 percent" in the first few days of the walk-out.
"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," said UFCW.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.