At Stop & Shop: No Contract, No Strike, Yet

NORTH CANAAN — Stop & Shop workers in three states remain on the job this week, despite failing to reach a contract agreement with the company.

About 43,000 United Food and Commercial Workers union members voted last week to authorize a strike if negotiations failed to produce an agreement before their three-year contract expired on Saturday. Negotiations were halted Saturday at 2 p.m.

The five unions involved, including Local 371 in Connecticut, which includes the North Canaan Super Stop & Shop, proposed that the two sides continue to meet this week. Union members are staying on the job under the terms of the existing contract.

Local 371 president Brian Petronella told The Journal on Monday the union proposed to continue negotiating, not because they were nearing an agreement, but because talks have taken a turn for the worse.

"The company came in on Saturday with a proposal that was regressive, not positive," Petronella said. "Two locals, No. 320 in Rhode Island and No. 1445 in the Boston area, were scheduled to vote Sunday to authorize a strike. They approved it and now we can go back to the bargaining table with all five unions in hand. We will meet Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week in Providence." All About Insurance

The main issue is health insurance. Three years ago, the union made a concession to raise the minimum employment period for eligibility from nine to 24 months. In exchange, Stop & Shop agreed to continue to pay 100 percent of premiums and all workers (full- and part-time) could receive benefits.

About 80 percent of the union workers are part-time. A strike was narrowly averted then, but things could get uglier now, Petronella said.

"We asked them to reduce the waiting time for new hires. They came back Saturday with a reduction to 18 months, which we’re not real happy with. But they also wanted to add a requirement that part-timers have to work at least 1,000 hours per year to be eligible.

"You can be darn sure that the bean counters in the offices are going to be told to make sure no one is scheduled for more than 1,000 hours."

The union will likely accept the 18 months, but will hold out for no minimum hours, Petronella said.

Stop & Shop has blamed a drop in profits for its tough negotiating stance and has stated it sees no reason for employees to object to paying a small percentage of health-insurance premiums.

According to the union, the current premium for a family plan is $612 per month.

Stop & Shop is proposing full-time workers pay $11 per week for individual coverage and up to $22.70 for various family plans. Part-time workers would pay $9.50 for individual plans. Payments would increase over the contract’s three years. Stop & Shop Profits Down

Possibly adding to the bad blood are ads in newspapers looking for temporary workers should the union strike. Stop & Shop is offering $11 per hour, far more than what union workers make, even after years on the job.

The Dutch company Royal Ahold NV, which owns Stop & Shop and Giant Supermarkets, reported Feb. 1 a drop in fourth quarter sales of 3.7 percent on more than $5 billion.

The most accurate mark of profitability is what is happening in stores more than a year old. Stop & Shop reported an average 1.5 percent drop in those stores in the fourth quarter.

"It’s hard to feel any sympathy for the company," Petronella said. "They can say they lost $250 million in profits last year, but the reality is it’s down from a $1 billion in profits. They’re still making a lot of money."

Union workers have been asked to start handing out literature during their breaks and non-working hours, urging customers to support the union and shop elsewhere if a strike occurs.

Representatives from Stop & Shop did not return calls asking for comment.