Stop & Shop workers to receive COVID-19 hazard pay, moment of silence for those lost

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union announced a new agreement with Stop & Shop on premium pay for 56,000 union Stop & Shop associates represented by UFCW.

The agreement will provide retroactive premium pay – in the form of lump sum payments equal to 10 percent of all hours worked between July 5, 2020 and August 22, 2020 – to recognize their ongoing efforts to ensure communities have access to the food and supplies they need as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

UFCW International President Marc Perrone and Stop & Shop President Gordon Reid released the following joint statement:

“Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in the U.S. in March, UFCW members and Stop & Shop workers have gone above and beyond to ensure that our stores have remained open to serve our communities’ essential needs. These workers have risen to the challenge and Stop & Shop deeply appreciates everything they have done in difficult circumstances – at work and at home – as they care for their neighbors and their families during a national crisis.

“Working in partnership when the pandemic began to take hold, UFCW International and UFCW local unions together with Stop & Shop offered union members a temporary premium. When that pay raise expired in July, the UFCW local unions and members asked Stop & Shop to do what is right for grocery workers and UFCW members.

“Today, UFCW and Stop & Shop are proud to announce a tentative agreement has been reached on a new premium that recognizes Stop & Shop workers for their incredible efforts. The UFCW wants to acknowledge Stop & Shop for not only recognizing its workers, but for remaining committed to work with UFCW, America’s largest food and retail union, to better the lives of these dedicated workers and their families.”

“Today’s agreement is a further testament that by negotiating in good faith, Stop & Shop and UFCW have been able to achieve a real victory that is shared by the company, its customers, these communities, and the grocery workers who continue to serve.”

The new agreement announced today by UFCW and Stop & Shop includes the following:

● 56,000 union Stop & Shop associates represented by UFCW, will receive retroactive premium pay for this past summer

● Retroactive premium pay will be provided to each employee in the form of lump sum payments equal to 10 percent of all hours worked between July 5 and August 22.

● The retroactive premium pay excludes any paid-time off accrued in this time period and does not apply to any employees represented by UFCW local unions currently engaged in contract negotiations with the company.

● Additionally, Stop & Shop has agreed to observe a moment of silence on Labor Day and Workers Memorial Day, starting in 2021, to recognize both the frontline workers lost to COVID-19 and the collective strength that union membership has provided to its associates. This is in addition to the initial Stop & Shop premium pay between March and July, as well as the two additional weeks of paid leave provided earlier this year if any workers become sick.

An agreement has also been struck with Teamsters Local 25 which represents 1,000 associates at Stop & Shop’s Freetown, Mass., distribution center.