FREETOWN, MASS. (WHDH) - Stop & Shop employees were protesting early Friday morning outside a distribution center in Freetown.
Union members said their jobs are being threatened as they negotiate a new contract.
“We got about 100 or so guys out here this morning protesting, letting the company know we aren’t going anywhere,” said Jason Lopes from Teamsters Local 25.
Stop & Shop wants to move warehouse workers off their current health insurance plan to save money, and if a new contract isn’t ratified by the end of the month, it will close the Freetown facility that employs 900 and outsource distribution, saving the company millions of dollars.
The Teamsters union fears substandard healthcare and say they won’t let a foreign-owned corporation bully American workers.
“These guys worked upwards of 6 to 8 months with no days off, 7 days a week, working upwards of 100 hours a week, to carry this company record profits during the pandemic, so we’re here to get our piece of the pie,” Lopes said.
Stop & Shop said they eventually want to pay warehouse workers higher wages and contribute more to their pension.
The company wrote Friday morning:
“We are disappointed that Teamsters Local 25 has not been willing to engage in discussions around proposals that would keep the Stop & Shop Freetown facility open. We want to assure our customers that Stop & Shop stores are open and ready to serve our communities.”
Stop & Shop said the union has until next Friday to sign the deal or the distribution center will close.
The Teamsters said they will picket at every location in New England if the owners continue down the path.
(Copyright (c) 2025 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)