Students who shop at Stop & Shop may have to stop elsewhere this weekend - members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 328 and Local 1445 voted Sunday to authorize a strike against the grocery store chain if a new contract could not be agreed upon by the end of Thursday.
Union representatives from the locals, as well as three others - representing roughly 43,000 workers in New England, according to the Providence Journal - have been negotiating a new contract with Stop & Shop executives since Tuesday. Talks are scheduled to end Thursday evening.
The previous contract for Stop & Shop employees expired Sunday morning. Among other changes, the new contract proposed by Stop & Shop asks employees to pay part of their health care premiums. The company formerly paid the full premium, said Faith Weiner, a spokeswoman for Stop & Shop Supermarkets.
Union demands include "wages that pay the bills," "secure retirement," "affordable, quality health care for all" and "fair treatment and respect," according to a press release on the Web site of Local 1445, which represents union members in northeastern New England.
"If the company forces a choice between making rent and going to the doctor, we are prepared to fight in New England and in every market the company operates - whether union or non union - because a fight against one of us is a fight against all," the press release read.
"More than most" Stop & Shop employees belong to the UFCW, Weiner said.
Jim Riley, secretary-treasurer of Local 328 of the UFCW, could not be reached for comment.
"We are hopeful that by (Thursday) there will be a bargain agreement," Weiner said. Stop & Shop is always "fully operational and ready to serve customers," she said.
Weiner declined to comment on how the company would handle a strike. "If something changes, we will communicate with customers and the public at an appropriate time," she said.
Sam Culver '07, who said he shops weekly at a Providence Stop & Shop, said he doubts the store will be affected by a strike. The company cannot afford the financial losses caused by a shutdown, he said. "I think they'll figure something out before the deadline," Culver said.
Still, Culver said a shutdown would be inconvenient because he would have to shop at the pricier East Side Marketplace or at a grocery store in Seekonk, Mass., which is significantly farther away.
"Most everyone of my friends off meal plan go to that Stop & Shop," Culver said of the location he shops at on West River Street, which is about two miles from campus. He often runs into friends from Brown while grocery shopping, he added.
"I live much closer to East Side (Marketplace), but I still go to Stop & Shop, and that's the case for every single one of my friends off meal plan," said Madeline Rake '07, who shops at the same location as Culver. "I guess I'd have to go to East Side Marketplace or Whole Foods and spend a little more money" if there is a strike, she said.
