Connecticut Stop & Shop Employees Go On Strike, Closing Some Stores

For the first time in 30 years, Stop & Shop employees walked off the job.

The Hartford Courant has reported that all across Connecticut and New England, Stop & Shop employees went out on strike on Thursday afternoon, April 11 because of a breakdown in contract negotiations.

I saw it firsthand when I pulled in to New Fairfield's Stop & Shop. All I needed was a gallon of milk and what I got was about 25 employees carrying signs that read, 'On Strike Unfair Labor Practices' and 'Bargaining in Bad Faith,' and 'One Job Should Be Enough!' Yes, the store was closed.

31,000 workers walked off the job in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. According to the United Food and Commercial Worker's Union, sticking points for a new contract include cuts in health care and retirement benefits. Five members of the UFCW Union stated,

The men and women who make Stop & Shop a success have earned and deserve affordable health care, a good wage, and the ability to retire with dignity. They have earned and deserve a good job that allows them to do what they do best,

Stop & Shop management countered by saying,

Stop & Shop is disappointed with the strike given that negotiations are ongoing with the assisstance of federal mediators. Management's reasonable offer includes across-the-board raises and health and pension benefits that are better than most other food retailers.