Stop & Shop Avoided Teamsters Strike by Agreeing to These Terms

Stop & Shop has narrowly avoided a Teamsters strike, and it did so by agreeing to specific terms.

According to WCVB, the original agreement was reached late last month. Employees at Stop & Shop’s distribution center in Freetown, Massachusetts — a suburb of Boston — have a new six-year contract. Teamsters Local 25 accused Stop & Shop of attempting to pressure those workers into switching from their existing health plan to a more costly one.

According to the president of Teamsters Local 25, the new agreement is “the strongest contract in the supermarket industry.”

Over 31,000 Stop & Shop workers went on strike for 11 days in 2019 to reach a contract deal between the union and the business.

“Stop & Shop tried to strong-arm our members by pushing a nonunion, substandard company health care plan, but our members refused to be intimidated by the company’s corporate threats,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien, according to Boston 25 News. “We fought back against Stop & Shop’s corporate greed and sent a clear message that our members will not be bullied into accepting anything less than what they are worth.”

Additionally, the Teamsters receive the biggest financial benefits ever negotiated under the contract. Throughout the contract period, the Veteran employees will receive a raise of more than 30%, while new hires will receive an 80% pay increase. The deal also guarantees the long-term running of the Freetown facility, maintains first-rate Teamsters healthcare, and dramatically raises pension contributions.

Stop & Shop Recently Introduced Savings Kiosks

Late last year, the well-known supermarket chain installed Savings Station coupon kiosks in each location. The launch aims to increase everyone’s access to the store’s digital coupons.

According to a news release at the time, the Savings Stations were set up in half of Stop & Shop’s retail locations in time for the holidays, enabling customers to access savings for their December festivities. The remaining kiosks were installed in stores by January 2025, meaning the coupon kiosks are currently accessible in all 350+ locations.

“This rollout marks another change we’re making to remove friction and improve the shopping experience for our customers,” said Roger Wheeler, president of Stop & Shop. “We heard from customers who felt they were missing out on valuable digital coupon savings, and the Savings Station is our response to that feedback. It ensures that our customers can easily access all of our great deals, especially during the holiday season when savings are top of mind.”