STOP & SHOP CONTRACT UPDATE

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Yesterday, UFCW Local 328 members who work for Stop & Shop overwhelmingly ratified a new three year contract.  Over 1,500 people attended three separate ratification meetings held at the Rhodes on the Pawtuxet in Cranston, as well as separate meetings on the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.  The vast majority felt that the package was better than they expected, with over 97% voting to ratify the contract.

These negotiations were the most difficult in our local’s history as well as for all of our sister locals throughout New England.  The initial proposal by the company slashed your health care – gutted your pension - sought to cut benefits for new employees and presented a substandard wage package. 

From what has been negotiated throughout the country in the last 18 months, this is by far the richest contract that has been bargained.  This includes such employers as Kroger, A&P and Safeway.  Your employer will spend $163 million NEW dollars to fund these contracts over the next three years. 

Health and Welfare -   $76 Million

Wages -                    $63 Million

Pension -                   $24 Million

We would like to take this opportunity to deeply thank all of you for your patience and commitment to our common goal.  We commend all of you who passed out the 100% off coupons, all of you who confided in your customers and friends, and all of you who took the time to handbill outside of your stores on your free time.  You have no idea how essential your actions were to helping us reach this agreement.  And for that……we applaud you!!

Your strength is your unity and your unity is your strength.

In Solidarity,

Dave Fleming

Dave Fleming, President
UFCW Local 328

STOP & SHOP NEGOTIATION UPDATE

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Here we are Saturday at 2:40  in the afternoon and we’re still at it.

We are hanging tough in order to bring back the best possible package that is available. If I were to make an analogy, it would be a football game and we are down on the 1st yard line trying to score, and that last yard always seems to be the most difficult. We’re at a point where the economics is the last piece on the table and we want to make sure we don’t walk away unless we get everything that we believe is available. Our goal remains to bring back a company offer that is fair and equitable, that protects everything we have in our contract and makes improvements that you have earned and deserve.

Because of your unity, your strength and your connection to your customers we are still at the table making progress. Without you we would have been gone a long time ago. Don’t underestimate your value and importance to these negotiations.

See all of you tomorrow at Rhodes On The Pawtuxet.

Remember:

Your strength is your unity and your unity is your strength.

In Solidarity,

Dave Fleming

Dave Fleming, President
UFCW Local 328

Local 328 has scheduled three separate meetings this Sunday to vote on the company's offer. Due to the importance of these meetings, we urge all members to attend. Below are links to three memos which we are distributing widely. These memos have the meeting places, times, and directions.

• Meeting memo for clerks at stores 7, 71, 73, 421, 432, 443, 473, 486, 490, 493, 701, 702, 703, 704, 705, 707, 708, 709, 710, 712, 714, 716, 718, 720, 721, 722, 723, 724, 725, 726, 727, 729, 731, 737, 739, 2404, 2607, 2701
  
  
• Meeting memo for clerks at stores 12, 14, 17, 20, 22, 28, 31, 35, 38, 54, 55, 64, 66, 70, 82, 87, 98, 402, 415, 425, 427, 444, 461, 469, 470, 474, 475, 478, 482, 483, 484, 487, 2403, 2422
  
  
• Meeting memo for meat and deli workers

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We continue to press the Company for a fair and equitable contract offer. We are making serious progress especially in the areas of health & welfare and pension. But we are still far apart on wages as well as issues surrounding future new hires.

The Federal Mediators, who are at all of our negotiation sessions, have made it clear that if the company puts forth a proposal that has been improved from what was available on February 21st then we must bring it back to the membership for a vote.

All five locals are setting up meetings for Sunday March 7, 2010 anticipating that we will have a company offer to present to you for a vote.

This is a very serious time for all of our members so your presence at these meetings is important.

Our goal remains the same now as when we heard your collective voices at the February 21st meetings:

• To protect what we have
• To preserve what we have
• To make improvements you have earned & deserve

President Dave Fleming
President Rick Charette
President Mark Espinosa
President Scott Macey
President Brian Petronella

STOP & SHOP NEGOTIATION UPDATE

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

UFCW Local 328 President Dave Fleming has given the company a termination notice ending the current collective bargaining agreement effective twelve noon on Friday. From that point forward the local union can call a strike and pull the members at any point and time without any further notice. The two main issues that are still unresolved that are significantly far apart are the company’s demand for higher employee contributions for the health insurance and a very low wage proposal that has no general wage increase on the front end. The sad part is that there are also other issues that are still open, such as the company requesting for future full timers to receive a lesser pension and that new hired part timers should receive less holidays.

We were hoping that the move that was made yesterday would bring the company to the table with a fair proposal. We still hope that a fair package will be presented to us by the company in the course of today and tomorrow, up until the time that our collective bargaining agreement ends.

I don’t understand how a company that has made such an incredible amount of money and has the number one market share in all of New England would risk not only their company, but their employees, when they obviously can afford to put a fair deal on the table. I feel our members are united and I feel our members are strong.

I believe that our members do not really want to strike, but they will absolutely strike if the contract offer is not fair.

Remember:

Your strength is your unity and your unity is your strength.

In Solidarity,

Dave Fleming

Dave Fleming, President
UFCW Local 328

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

Today in an effort to move these negotiations along, and as part of our strategic plan Local 371 of Westport, Connecticut gave the company a 24 hour notice to terminate their contract. 

STOP & SHOP NEGOTIATION UPDATE

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Negotiations are continuing with Federal Mediators as well as International Vice President & Director of Collective Bargaining Bill McDonough, working to bring both sides to an agreement.

Significant movement has been made in the areas of pension and health & welfare.  Wages and the size of employee contributions to the Health & Welfare Fund continue to be stumbling blocks as we near the end of these talks. These issues will be addressed all day today.

We understand your eagerness and concern for more information as we work to conclude these difficult negotiations.  We ask you to please stay patient and stick together.

Remember:

Your strength is your unity and your unity is your strength.

In Solidarity,

Dave Fleming

Dave Fleming, President

UFCW Local 328

THIS MEMO IS INTENDED SOLELY FOR LOCAL 328 STOP & SHOP MEMBERS

PLEASE DO NOT DUPLICATE OR POST IN YOUR STORES

UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTIFIED BY LOCAL 328

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Sorry for the late update, contract talks continued late into the evening yesterday.

Stop & Shop is reviewing the latest set of proposals from all five New England locals on economics. Each individual local met with the Stop & Shop negotiating team to iron out remaining issues on pension and healthcare coverage. We will meet again today at 9:00 AM and continue to bargain as you continue to work.

We will keep you updated as soon as we have more information.  Stay strong and continue to do the great job you've been doing.

Remember: Your strength is your unity and your unity is your strength.

Thank you for your continued solidarity.

In Solidarity,
Dave Fleming, President
UFCW Local 328

UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTIFIED BY LOCAL 328