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More than a week after the start of the union strike involving tens of thousands of workers and more than 200 stores, the grocery chain continued negotiations with union officials Friday night, the company said.
"Stop & Shop and the five UFCW locals continue their negotiations in the evening," read a statement Friday night from the Quincy-based company. "We remain focused on reaching new, fair deals with market-leading salaries, excellent health benefits for eligible associates and increased pension contributions for all our associates."
The strike began on April 11, when workers received a call from the United Food & Commercial Workers union to quit work. The work stoppage affects 31,000 employees in 240 stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
For Stop & Shop, the first days of the strike saw regular customers dropping by 75% compared to the previous weekend, according to an analysis.
A message left to a union spokesperson was not immediately returned Friday night.
Workers Protest Proposed Increases in Health Care Costs, Reduced Pension Contributions for Many Unpaid Part-Time Workers and New Employees, and Changes in Sunday Overtime Pay and Statutory Holidays .
The strike drew the attention and support of several notable Democratic politicians. Last week, US Senator Elizabeth Warren, a presidential candidate, showed her support for striking workers in Somerville. On Thursday, former Vice President Joe Biden spoke to a crowd of several hundred people gathered in front of a Stop & Shop in Dorchester.
On Friday, Democratic presidential candidates Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar visited picket lines at stores north of Boston.
Katie Johnston of Globe staff contributed to this report. Danny McDonald can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @Danny__McDonald.
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