Members of three of the five United Food and Commercial Workers locals that are negotiating as a group have voted to authorize a strike if no settlement has been reached when the current three-year contract expires at 12:01 a.m. Sunday. But negotiating sessions between the UFCW and Quincy-based Stop & Shop are scheduled daily through Friday. Both sides on Tuesday held out hope they could avert a walkout. Negotiations, which began in mid-December, have focused on health care costs and retirement benefits. "We believe we can still reach an agreement, but we're way behind the negotiating schedule we've kept for past contracts," said Mark Govoni, a spokesman for UFCW Local 1445. Stop & Shop, owned by the Dutch conglomerate Royal Ahold NV, is negotiating with the UFCW's Local 1445, covering workers in eastern and central Massachusetts; Local 328, covering Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts; Local 1459, covering western Massachusetts; and two units representing Connecticut workers, locals 371 and 919. The locals represent workers at 231 stores. Workers in The two locals that have yet to take strike votes -- locals 1445 and 328 -- are scheduled to do so Sunday, Govoni said. If the strike authorization measures pass, union leaders could call a strike at any time after the contract expires. Stop & Shop placed advertisements in newspapers over the weekend saying it was opening hiring centers at hotels to recruit potential replacement workers. "We hope we do not need these workers, but we have an obligation to our customers to have contingency plans," said Faith Weiner, a Stop & Shop spokeswoman. Stop & Shop currently covers 100 percent of its union employees' health care premiums, although employees cover copayments and deductibles. In the current negotiations, the company wants employees to cover a portion of the premiums. Govoni said the union was willing to consider shifting some premium costs to employees, but believes the company's proposal goes too far. The union also objects to the company's plan to begin switching new hires from a defined benefit pension plan to an employee-funded 401(k) plan, Govoni said.
Boston Herald: Stop & Shop looks at temps as hedge against strike risk Five United Food and Commercial Workers Union locals in Stop & Shop has published help-wanted ads and is holding job fairs to recruit temporary replacement workers - at $15 an hour full-time and $11 an hour part-time - just in case. Those hourly rates are higher than what some current employees make, according to the union. “Because some of the unions took strike votes last week, the company had to put contingency plans in place to safeguard the interests of our customers,” Stop & Shop spokeswoman Faith Weiner said. “Our hope is, by staying at the table and continuing to negotiate in good faith, we will reach a positive settlement and get a new collective bargaining agreement.” Negotiations were scheduled to continue through the week. Union offices were closed yesterday due to the storm, and union officials could not be reached for comment. According to the union’s Web site, health-care coverage and improving plans for part-timers is a top issue of contention. “The publicized elements that have been talked about include health care and the company’s desire for employees to make a modest contribution to the health plan,” Weiner said. “Currently, the company pays 100 percent of the premiums.” Weiner declined to say what percentage Stop & Shop wants employees to contribute. Part-timers’ health-care coverage is based on eligibility criteria, including length of employment, she said. By Steve LeBlanc, Associated Press Writer | February 1, 2006
The state spent nearly $213 million on health care for nearly 160,000 workers and their dependents through the Medicaid and free care pool programs during the 2005 fiscal year, according to the analysis. Wal-Mart, Stop & Shop, and McDonald's top the list, which also includes The release of the report comes as lawmakers are trying to craft a bill to dramatically expand health care coverage in "This report demonstrates the need for us to reform our health care system to make sure there are affordable health care products," said Timothy Murphy, secretary of health and human services, whose office compiled the report. Murphy said the report doesn't distinguish between full- and part-time workers, or workers who declined to enroll in company-sponsored insurance plans. He said the vast majority of companies offered insurance plans to full-time workers. House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi said the report makes the case for the House plan. "We currently operate under a broken employer-based health care system that requires responsible businesses to subsidize the care of their competitors' employees," DiMasi, D-Boston, said in a statement. Wal-Mart topped the list. According to the report, 2,866 people who relied on MassHealth or the state's free care pool said they worked for Wal-Mart. The estimated taxpayer cost to provide health care to those workers and their dependents: $7.9 million. A company spokesman defended the retail giant's record on employee health coverage. "Wal-Mart provides health insurance to full and part-time associates. For many associates, a job at Wal-Mart means new access to health coverage," said Nate Hurst, said Wal-Mart spokesman. A spokesman for Stop & Shop said the supermarket chain spends nearly $55 million annually in on medical, dental, prescription and vision coverage for their workers. A similar report released last year pegged the cost to taxpayers at about $52 million, but Murphy said his office used a different methodology, making it hard to compare that number to the $212 million figure. Health care advocates said the new report bolsters their argument that many big companies are shifting responsibility for the health needs of their workers onto the backs of taxpayers. "Every company on this list needs to take a second look at what's going on with health care benefits," said John McDonough of Health Care for All. Businesses say they support efforts to expand health care, but oppose the payroll tax proposal. "This should not be used to stigmatize individual companies when it is a more societal problem," said Robert Ruddock, general counsel for Associated Industries of Massachusetts. He said health care should remain a benefit, not a mandate. "That's like saying you buy food with your salary so employers should provide workers with food." |
