Union: Agreement Saves 900 Stop & Shop Jobs In Freetown, Massachusetts

By Michael P. Norton

Labor unrest at a major supermarket’s South Coast distribution center could be coming to an end. 

Teamsters Local 25 over the weekend reported a tentative six-year agreement covering more than 900 workers at a Stop & Shop distribution center in Freetown. The union said the agreement guarantees that the facility will remain open, strengthen benefits and raises wages.

“We held Stop & Shop accountable and secured one of the strongest contracts in the supermarket industry,” Local 25 President Tom Mari said. “This victory shows what happens when workers refuse to back down.”

The local union said Saturday that it had the backing of 30,000-member United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Gov. Maura Healey and other elected officials.

“I am proud to have stood with the Teamsters to ensure these good-paying union jobs stay in Massachusetts,” Healey said in a statement released by the Teamsters. “Keeping the Freetown distribution center open while securing strong wages and benefits is a win for these workers and our entire state.”

topAccording to the Teamsters, new hires will receive an 80% wage increase over the length of the agreement, while veteran workers will see a more-than-30% raise. The agreement also preserves “top-tier” health care and increases pension contributions.