Local 342 Refuses to be Bullied by Dutch Conglomerate, Ahold, in Negotiations with Stop & Shop

MINEOLA, N.Y. - May 1, 2013 - PRLog -- UFCW Local 342 represents over 1100 Meat, Deli, and Seafood Department employees who work at Stop & Shop Supermarkets in New York City and Long Island.  UFCW Local 342’s approach to collective bargaining with Ahold, which is the foreign Dutch supermarket conglomerate that owns Stop & Shop, is to stay focused on bargaining in good faith to reach an agreement without a disruption to the business or the communities where our members live, work, and raise their children.  Although UFCW Local 342 is aware that this large foreign company has hired a union avoidance firm to conduct their provocative, bullying labor relations, UFCW Local 342 is intent on honoring American labor law and American values in our negotiations.

Different media outlets have estimated that Ahold gets 60% of its revenue from its US operations, including the Stop & Shop banner.  Currently, the economic climate in Europe is much worse than the United States, which causes the large profits from Ahold’s American operations to be needed to sustain their businesses in Europe.  UFCW Local 342 recognizes the challenges this presents to our members, who are very disappointed that the company has decided to attempt to make blue collar American workers pay for circumstances beyond their control, and far removed from our communities here in New York.  UFCW Local 342 members have told the union this is particularly true when the company’s management has just received large bonuses for themselves.

UFCW Local 342 will not be distracted by this Dutch company threatening lockouts, implementing concessions that will prevent our members from being able to afford to shop where they work, disrupting communities still suffering from Hurricane Sandy, and other anti-union tactics designed to circumvent American labor laws.  UFCW Local 342 members work hard for this foreign giant, and the union will keep bargaining to reach an agreement with compassion for our members and what New York has been experiencing in the last year.  

One issue where there remains much bargaining to be done concerns health care benefits.  This is taking longer than usual because of the new Affordable Care Act.  All employers and all unions are spending additional time waiting on final regulations to be released by the government, and this makes it necessary to carefully review all information available since the new regulations are untested.  Health care benefits are very important to UFCW Local 342 members and their families.

The Dutch Ahold Corporation did not put in their recent press release concerning their “Last, Best, and Final” offer that their current proposal to employees includes:

·         reduced employee health care benefits

·         increased employee deductibles

·         that the wage increases the company proposes will not offset the true increased cost of the company health care proposal

·         that they cut hours of part-time workers in retaliation for American health care law changes. Ahold does this to part-time workers who are struggling to make ends meet with two or even three jobs. These are real people who are single parents, members who are trying to pay for an education, and have children to support.  UFCW Local 342 considers our part-time members to be as valuable as any other worker at Dutch Ahold.  Union part-time members, who live in the local communities of the New York metro area, cannot be made to pay for economic conditions in Europe.

Although new health care laws have created the same challenges for UFCW Local 342 in current bargaining at American owned, local New York companies like King Kullen and Shop Rite, UFCW Local 342 members in American owned companies have not been threatened, bullied, or harassed like the Dutch are doing.  The American owned local companies are continuing to bargain with their employees, work through the difficulties, and remain committed to finding mutually agreeable solutions.

The fact is it appears that Dutch Ahold does not care about the lives of their American workers, who are real people to UFCW Local 342 with all the same hardships and concerns as their American customers at Stop & Shop.  Moreover, this Dutch company cannot control UFCW Local 342’s bargaining process.  The company representatives also did not put in their press release that bargaining is scheduled to continue tomorrow (May 1st.)  UFCW Local 342 will be there continuing to try to reach an agreement while members go to work as normal.  The union will also respect the Federal Mediator’s request not to bargain through the media, even if Dutch Ahold does not.