Stop & Shop stores are nearly empty as strike strikes | The Berkshire eagle

By Dick Lindsay and Adam Shanks

The Berkshire eagle

In the late morning, outside the North Adams Stop & Shop, many passing motorists rang the horn of their car to support a dozen picket workers.

But inside, the store was silent, no customers crossing the aisles.

Although the shelves were always filled with canned goods such as pasta, the bakery's shelves, products and meat from the store offered thin pickings.

A similar scenario occurred at the Dan Fox Drive Stop & Shop in Pittsfield.

Only one customer pushing a shopping cart into an alley found shelves barely empty.

The bakery was devoid of fresh bread, rolls and pastries. In the chilled sections, liters of milk and dozens of boneless chicken breasts packed in their respective boxes of dairy products and meat were out of date or close to their date of sale. The only open lanes were those with automatic payment.

Seven days later, striking workers from the Stop & Shop union had a profound impact on the 240 stores in Berkshire County and southern New England. Rumors of strangely quiet shops spread across the Commonwealth.

The reason, according to the union leaders, is that the vast majority of customers support union members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union who left work last Thursday, mainly for wages and benefits .

"These people have excellent customer relations, which is why the strike has been so successful, and our relationship with customers is strong," said Matthew Szulborski, standing in front of the picket line. Outside of Dan Fox Drive.

Szulborski is vice-president of UFCW Local 1459, which has 1,300 workers at Stop & Shop in western Massachusetts, including 300 to 400 at a supermarket in North Adams and two at Pittsfield.

The union representative told an Eagle reporter that the picketers wanted to get back to work, but remained determined to seek a fair deal. They were working under a contract that expired on February 23rd.

"The fact that the picket lines remain solid proves that we are on the bright side," Szulborski said.

A total of 31,000 employees of the Stop & Shop Union in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island went on strike after the breakup of controversial negotiations on Thursday. Negotiations resumed on Saturday and continue between management, the presidents of the five UFCW bargaining units and federal mediators.

Trade union leaders say Stop & Shop is trying to cut wages and other benefits, especially for young workers. Stop & Shop says their latest offer retains many benefits and continues to place their employees among the highest paid retail grocery retailers.

Earlier in the week, Mark McGowan, president of the New England division of Stop & Shop, made a personal speech to the strikers for they agree to the latest proposal from the company. McGowan also publicly apologizes "for the inconvenience the strike has caused to our loyal customers."

While the majority of stores are open from 8 am to 8 pm, the three Berkshire stores are included in the three Berkshire stores, but McGowan acknowledged in a statement that customers had limited services.

"Rest assured, we are grateful for your understanding and we are working tirelessly to get things back on track, but in the meantime, thank you for staying with us," he said.

Two state legislators stand alongside the striking workers. State Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier of D-Pittsfield took pictures with the picketers and showed her support on social media.

Senator Adam Hinds of Berkshire State supports union employees, believing that their claims are reasonable.

"When you talk to people on the picket line, they do not ask for much," he said. "The energy support for the workers in the area is incredible."

If the strike continues throughout the weekend, buyers preparing for Easter or Passover will have gone elsewhere, according to analysts in the retail sector.

Burt P. Flickinger III, Managing Director of Strategic Resource Group, told the Boston Globe that Stop & Shop would permanently lose 5% of its customer base due to the strike, which could have a major financial impact on the supermarket chain.

"In almost 30 years, we have not seen a strike that is as effective and devastating as this one," he said.

Dick Lindsay can be contacted at [email protected] and 413-496-6233.