Today, 14 United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) local unions in New York, New Jersey and New England which collectively represent 70,000 Stop and Shop grocery workers across the United States, condemned the company’s slashing of workers wages during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

At midnight on Saturday, July 4, 2020, just ahead of a major profit-making holiday weekend, Stop and Shop formally ended essential pay for thousands of workers across the Northeast. The company walked away from negotiating with the 14 Local UFCW unions and unilaterally cut workers wages and ended the essential pay they need to continue to work under hazardous conditions amid the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. 

Fourteen Local UFCW unions condemned the company’s hypocritical behavior of one day “thanking” workers and the next cutting their pay at a time while the company continues to make significant profits. The company’s refusal  to bargain with the unions highlighted their disregard for workers’ welfare. 

“It is inexcusable that a company that has made extraordinary profits during the COVID-19 crisis would think of ending the critical pay our members need. 

“Let us be clear, our members didn’t sign up to be frontline heroes in a health crisis the likes of which we’ve never seen, but they rose to the call and fed America. The essential pay they received during this crisis isn’t ‘appreciation’ as Stop and Shop suggests, but critical pay to ensure their families were safe amid the crisis we’re facing — a crisis that is far from over. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic continues and our members also continue to practice regimented disinfection protocols just to go to work everyday and ensure their families are safe when they return. During the pandemic their jobs have fundamentally changed. They are more stressful and more physically demanding. The emotional and mental labor expended by our members hasn’t lifted, and their essential pay shouldn’t either. 

“To treat essential workers as disposable after what they’ve done to keep our dinner tables full, at a time with such grave uncertainty about our future and when the company continues to rack up large profits is disgraceful. Our unions cannot and will not stand for any company fleecing our members — Stop and Shop needs to reinstate essential pay for our members now. 

“Stop and Shop’s decision to leave the table the very same day that New York rolled back the critical Phase 3 implementation of indoor dining shows just how hazardous and dangerous our members’ indoor work environment continues to be. Stop and Shop abjectly refused every possible solution presented by our collective unions, in violation of our members rights under our respective Collective Bargaining Agreements, and we will be filing charges with the National Labor Relations Board.” 

The above statement is jointly signed by 14 Local UFCW unions, which represent a combined 70,000 workers in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island:

Frank Deriso, President

UFCW Local 1

Brian String, President

UFCW Local 152

Richard Abondolo, President

UFCW Local 342

Tim Melia, President

UFCW Local 328

John R. Durso, President

Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW

Salvatore Ferraino, President

UFCW Local 360

Ronald Petronella, President

UFCW Local 371

John R. Niccollai, President

UFCW Local 464A

Max Bruny, President

UFCW Local 888

Mark A. Espinosa, President

UFCW Local 919

Harvey Whillie, President

UFCW Local 1262

Fernando Lemus, President

UFCW Local 1445

Tyrone C. Housey, President

UFCW Local 1459

Robert Newell, President

UFCW Local 1500