BOSTON — Fourteen United Food and Commercial Workers local unions in New York, New Jersey, and New England which collectively represent 70,000 Stop & Shop grocery workers across the United States, is condemning the company’s cutting of workers’ wages during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While Stop & Shop says it is now returning to pre-COVID levels of traffic and demand, the worker’s union says the move is hypocritical and inexcusable since Stop & Shop is profiting during the pandemic.
Stop & Shop’s worker’s union is blaming the company for walking away from negotiations and unilaterally cutting workers’ wages.
It says the 4th of July wage change just ahead of a major profit-making holiday weekend showed disregard for the welfare of thousands of workers across the northeast.
It said this ended the essential pay workers need to continue working under what it calls hazardous conditions because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“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 union said in a statement. “The COVID-19 pandemic continues and our members also continue to practice regimented disinfection protocols just to go to work every day 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.”
“We deeply appreciate the extraordinary efforts of our associates and have been pleased to offer and extend our appreciation pay program for longer than nearly every other food retailer,” Stop & Shop said in a responding statement. “The purpose of this temporary extra pay was to recognize our associates for their hard work during an unprecedented surge in demand and customer traffic. As states continue to reopen, we are returning to pre-COVID levels of traffic and demand. We are continuing to take significant steps to keep our associates and customers safe and will continue to offer our associates a flexible leave policy and additional paid sick leave.”
Stop & Shop also says the charge that it failed to bargain is meritless since they have engaged in many discussions even extending the program twice.
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