As Stop & Shop shares its ‘final offer’ to each of the five UFCW locals, the union tells its members not to listen to management.
Negotiations between New England grocer Stop & Shop and the five UFCW locals representing its more than 30,000 employees took an interesting turn on Monday, as the company posted its ‘final offers’ to the union locals on its website.
“Because there have been inaccurate statements made about Stop & Shop’s positions in negotiations,” the company stated, “we believe it is important for our customers and our associates to have access to the complete facts on Stop & Shop’s offer.”
That is why today we have made the offers to each of the five unions available in their entirety, as well as summaries of each offer, available by clicking on the buttons below.
These offers include:
- Across-the-board pay increases for all associates – no one’s pay would be cut
- Continued “Gold Level” health care benefits as defined by the federal government at substantially below-market costs for eligible associates – and no changes to current deductibles
- Continued support for and increased company contributions to the UFCW’s national defined benefit pension fund for current full-and vested part-time associates – a very rare benefit in the New England retail industry; and
- Generous “voluntary retirement incentive offers” for long service associates
Stop & Shop posted each ‘final offer’ made to the separate local unions (each in PDF format) for the public to view in full.
- Stop & Shop Offer to UFCW Local 328
- Stop & Shop Offer to UFCW Local 371
- Stop & Shop Offer to UFCW Local 919
- Stop & Shop Offer to UFCW Local 1445
- Stop & Shop Offer to UFCW Local 1459
As the Connecticut-based The Hour notes, “Stop & Shop is offering long-tenured workers buyouts that could amount to as much as $75,000 — if a deal is struck by Wednesday.”
By Monday afternoon, the UFCW told its members that ‘nothing is final.’
“Many of you have seen posted notices of Stop & Shop’s “final offer” in your stores and on their website,” the UFCW locals said in a joint statement. “Make no mistake, nothing is considered ‘final’ on our end. We go back into negotiations tomorrow and we will not agree to any proposals that will hurt you and your families, or your reputation for providing quality service.”
“If management tries to give you any information about a new contract or new policies, contact your union rep immediately,” the unions told their members. “Remember, when the company tries to give you their corporate spin, you don’t have to listen.”
Stop & Shop is meeting again with the UFCW on Tuesday.
