After more then three months of negotiations and eleven days on strike, Stop & Shop workers have reached a tentative agreement with the Supermarket chain and went back to work this past Sunday. The employees at more then 240 Stop and Shops across Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island reached a deal with the Super Market chain which gives them better pay and health care coverage.
Quinnipiac student Alex Bernstein said that he believes that full time workers should be given benefits. “I definitely think that they deserve full time rights I mean right now they work them like thirty-nine and a half hours a week so they don’t get the forty hours so that way they get the benefits so it’s just kind of corporate greed.”
Super market chains such as Aldi, Costco, and Shop Rite offer their employees health insurance, dental insurance and more, causing potential competition in hiring. During the strike there was more then just competition with employees but also with shoppers. Students say they chose to shop at Aldi and Shop Rite during the strike forcing Stop and Shop to loose business.
“I usually shop at Stop and Shop to get my groceries,” said Quinnipiac student Emily Dryzgual. “But because they were on strike last week I went to Shop Rite which I guess is bad for their business because all the students are shopping at their competitors now.”
Shop Rite offers more then just health insurance coverage to their employees and includes a competitive 401 (k), auto home and pet insurance and tuition reimbursement. The Stop and Shop workers on strike included cashiers, stockers, bakers, deli clerks and butchers. During the strike, Stop & Shop employees argued that the chain’s parent company, Ahold Delhaize, reported profits of more than $2 billion to its shareholders last year, and could afford to compensate workers better.
Democratic presidential candidates including Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren supported the workers through out the strike. Warren tweeted out saying “Congratulations to @UFCW and the 31,000 @StopandShop workers who are back on the job today after striking to secure fair wages, health and retirement benefits for workers. When we fight together, we win.”
The union said in a statement: “The agreement preserves health care and retirement benefits, provides wage increases, and maintains time-and-a-half pay on Sunday for current members.” Details of the proposed three-year agreement will not be made public until the 31,000 union members across five locals ratify the contract. Voting will begin this week.