Negotiations Resume With Stop & Shop

Tony Speelman, UFCW Local 1500

December 4, 2013: Contract Update 19- 

The Federal Mediator's request for both Stop & Shop and our Union enter into temporary seven-day“cooling off” period is over.  We're resuming negotiations today with Stop & Shop.

This is the month we draw a line in the sand.  Throughout the last three-months we negotiated in good faith and hoped that Stop & Shop would bargain responsibly.  Unfortunately they have not and we are still nowhere near an agreement, especially with Pension and Welfare issues.  Stop & Shop is still proposing to withdraw from our multi-employer pension plan, put significant healthcare costs on all full time members and eliminate all part time medical benefits.  

The next week will be the ultimate test for you and our union.  We will not continue to give Stop & Shop the sweat off our backs for the rest of the holiday season while they refuse to propose a contract you can live with.  I urge you to be patient, strong and motivated during this process.  Our union's solidarity, strength and commitment will often be tested by Stop & Shop’s management team.  Negotiations are scheduled for the remainder of this week and early next week.  Just know that we are fighting every second of the day to try and secure not just "any contract" but the best contract we can.

Thank you for the overwhelming support, communication and solidarity.  We are grateful to our loyal customers, our local politicians, members of our communities, and all of the other Union’s that have already pledged their support. During this time we all need to stick together.  You must try to avoid buying into any management rumors or attempts to undermine this process.  Any attempts to separate our union membership must be met with a unified response that we are all together.  We need to support one another now more than ever, so again, thank you, for your patience and trust while we stand together and fight for a fair contract from Stop & Shop. Everyone should know that the last thing we ever want to do is to create an economic hardship for any of our members, your communities or your loyal customers.  

Thank you again, 

Tony Speelman

Lead Negotiator, UFCW Local 1500

Doesn't Walmart Have Enough to be Thankful For?

By: Adam Obernauer
adam@ufcw1500.org

A lot has been happening in the world of Walmart leading up to this Thanksgiving, and for the corporate giants, it ain’t looking good.   While Walmart CEO Mike Duke has announced that he’s stepping down, waves of strikes leading up to Black Friday have been the strongest yet.  In this past month alone, workers went on strike in Miami, Brooklyn Center, Tampa, Sacramento, Dallas, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, and cities throughout Ohio. Walmart has been feeling the pressure and in an effort to correct the company’s image, has tried to show the world that their employees are not telling the truth. They are the good guys that “care” about the community.

A Walmart in Ohio asked employees
to donate food to other employees "in need

In a failed effort to show how much they “care,” Walmart planned a Thanksgiving food drive for their own employees.  The food drive came from the Canton, Ohio based Walmart and the irony became a media sensation. The story hit everywhere from the New York Times' comic strip mocking the company, to Stephen Colbert’s comedy skit, to high profile actors like Ashton Kutcher getting into media battles with the company.

So what does Walmart need to do to try to create the illusion that it’s trying to help the community? This Thanksgiving, Walmart is set to donate over $1 million to food banks and local charities across New York State alone. With these recent efforts, Walmart is in line to be the most darkly ironic business in the world.  Instead of raising the pay and benefits of their own workforce that can’t afford to buy food on Thanksgiving, they’re more willing to throw large sums of money to Anti-Hunger groups in the name of “charity”.

Walmart has long established itself as the "worst of the worst" and is the epitome of corporate greed.  From the sweatshops overseas, the fires in the Bangladesh factory killing thousands, to the bribery of the Mexican government, and the thousands of workers going out on strike demanding better pay, it leaves us to think, when is enough, enough? When will Walmart be held accountable for the destruction of local communities and the devastation in factories throughout the world? When will the irony be strong enough so people no longer accept Walmart’s donations and pathetic attempts at being an accepted and respected business?

We think that the time should have come long ago and hope that this Thanksgiving, people give thanks to the workers in these stores that have to suffer day in and day out to continue to make the Walden’s the richest family in the world.

Stop & Shop Negotiations Update: Cooling Off Period Insisted by Federal Mediator

In a last minute attempt to avoid a possible work stoppage at a major New York area supermarket chain two days before Thanksgiving, the Federal Mediator has insisted both sides enter into temporary seven-day “cooling off” period.  During which neither the union nor the company is allowed to take retaliatory actions against each other. This agreement comes at the heels of Thanksgiving, and days after hundreds of Stop & Shop members met to begin preparing for either a Union sanctioned strike or a lockout.  It ensures all of us can enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with the peace of mind, that we will not be on the streets with picket signs, and instead will be with those who matter most to us, enjoying time with loved ones on Thanksgiving. We are currently working without a contract due to the company's refusal to sign additional short-term contract extensions.  We are taking the responsible step of agreeing to the Federal Mediator’s request, the temporary “cooling off period” means there will be no work stoppages called by either UFCW Local 1500 or Stop & Shop management for the next seven days. “It is our hope that this temporary truce between our Union and Stop & Shop will ultimately lead to an acceptable conclusion for the members of Local 1500. All we want is what we earned: a fair contract that protects our health care, pensions, and Part-Time workers,” said lead negotiator for our union, Tony Speelman.  These negotiations have been like no other, and I thank all of you for your patience, faith and support during them.  We’re fighting every single day to secure the best contract that protects 6,000 of our most committed union-members,” Speelman concluded. Greg Pasquale, Stop & Shop Negotiating Committee member and Produce Manager for the Stop and Shop located in Beekman, NY, wanted to extend his thanks to the public and his fellow members- “Thank you for the overwhelming support and solidarity for Stop & Shop members.  We are grateful to our loyal customers, the local politicians, members of the community, and the other Union’s that have pledged their support.  During this time we all need to stick together.  We cannot believe management’s rumors, and attempts to separate our union, we need to support one another more than ever, so thank you, for your patience while we stand up to Stop & Shop’s proposals.  We want everyone to know that the last thing we ever want to do is inconvenience shoppers, lose pay, or create economic hardship for our communities.” Takeaways from this update:   We will not be striking or locked out on Thanksgiving.   The Federal Mediator insisted both sides to accept a “cooling off period”, we accepted in good faith for ease of mind of our 6,000 families.       The “Cooling Off Period” between Stop & Shop and us ends on Monday, December 2nd. After that, the possibility of a strike or lockout increases.  We are NOT giving up Christmas and Holiday weeks.   We are bargaining to retain benefits and pensions for 6,000 workers.

Related articles

• Stop & Shop union leaders holding meetings over possible strike

New Stop and Shop Built with Taxpayer Money May Diminish Community’s Economic Growth

New Stop and Shop Built with Taxpayer Money May Diminish Community’s Economic Growth

Stop and Shop Supermarket Breaks Their Promise of Good Jobs to Rockaway, Queens Residents

In October of 2009, Stop and Shop Supermarkets received $16 million dollars in taxpayer funded Federal Stimulus money. The money was for a brand new, 55,000-square-foot Stop & Shop supermarket, located on Rockaway Peninsula. Once they received the money, they said “We are proud to be part of the economic resurgence of this community.” Unfortunately, pride has quickly turned into greed.

Stop and Shop is currently negotiating a new Union contract with UFCW Local 1500, which represents Stop and Shop employees throughout the metropolitan New York area. They are aggressively seeking to lower the quality of those jobs. Under Stop and Shop’s current proposal, employee wages would suffer, health benefits would be slashed, and employees would be stuck having to pay more for health care while pension benefits would be cut. Any new employees would be treated “second-class” workers. With these outrageous proposals, the workers at the new Rockaway supermarket would make far less than all other Stop and Shop grocery workers. The message Stop and Shop is giving is clear: they’ll take the taxpayer money, but won’t invest back into the community. It’s clear they just want to take advantage of the New Yorkers who financed their new store in Rockaway.

THIS IS NOT WHAT THE RESIDENTS OF

ROCKAWAY PENINSULA WERE PROMISED!

TELL STOP AND SHOP TO BARGAIN A NEW UNION CONTRACT THAT GIVES YOUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS THE WAGES AND BENEFITS THEY DESERVE!

Call Stop and Shop at 631-834-1476 or email them at: echacemarino@STOPANDSHOP.COM

And tell them your tax dollars should not fuel

Stop and Shop’s Greed!

A message from the 23,000 members of UFCW Local 1500

www.1union1voice.com

Release: Union Begins Campaign to Notify Public, Law Enforcement of Looming Strike...

News From UFCW Local 1500: Union Begins Campaign to Notify Public, Law Enforcement of Looming Strike

Clock Winding Down for 16,000 Grocery Workers in Metro NY Area

QUEENS VILLAGE, NY (06/16/2010)(readMedia)-- United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500, New York State's largest grocery workers Union, has begun the process of notifying the public and local enforcement of a potential strike that could affect over 150 supermarkets and 16,000 workers. With a contract expiration date of June 26th, any potential job action could affect the 4th of July weekend for hundreds of thousands of customers. Companies involved in the negotiations are Stop and Shop Supermarket, King Kullen Markets and A&P/Pathmark.

"We have a responsibility to inform the public and local law enforcement that you could see a widespread strike throughout the Five-Boroughs, Long Island, Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess Counties," said Patrick Purcell, spokesperson for UFCW Local 1500. "A strike in the supermarket industry will have a serious impact on communities in multiple ways. We intend to partner with elected officials and law enforcement to minimize the inconvenience."

"A strike could be avoided if the companies would come to the table with respect for their employees and bargain in good faith. Respect for the workers by these companies has been AWOL during these negotiations," Purcell continued. "All they have talked about is cutting health benefits, cutting pensions, wage freezes, etc. It's corporate greed, pure and simple. People in this country, workers and consumers alike, are tired of greedy companies and their bailouts who continue to demonstrate disrespect for their consumers and workers. The members of UFCW Local 1500 will take a stand against these companies and will send them a message: Greed Stops Here!" Purcell concluded.

Robert Schnarrs, a Stop and Shop worker on Long Island and member of the UFCW Local 1500 negotiating team, made his opinion clear: "Over our dead bodies will we cave into company greed!"

Actions that the Union will begin to take will include, but are not limited to, notifying local Police Precincts, County Police and State Police. County Executives and other elected official will be notified as well.

For consumers, the Union has sent up a web address that will lead them to public updates about the potential strike. The website is www.nysupermarkets.com.

United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500 is based out of Queens Village and represents 23,000 grocery workers in the Metropolitan New York area. Contracts with additional employers such as D'Agostinos, Gristedes, Key Food and Shop Rite.  Contracts representing 6,000 workers will expire in September.

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