The Militant (logo)  

Vol. 74/No. 14      April 12, 2010

 
Unionists rally behind
grocery store strikers
 
BY TED LEONARD  
BOSTON—More than 200 unionists and supporters held a rally here at a local Shaw’s supermarket March 18 to back 300 warehouse workers, members of United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW) Local 791, on strike at a Shaw’s Supermarkets distribution center in Methuen, Massachusetts, since March 7.

The workers struck after rejecting a company proposal that would have increased what they pay for health care by more than the wage increase being offered by the company.

UFCW Local 791, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, the Greater Boston Labor Council, and Jobs with Justice called the action.

In addition to daily pickets at the distribution center, Local 791 has informational pickets at 16 supermarkets in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

On March 23 Shaw’s notified the union that it intended to hire permanent replacements for the striking employees and had begun the process of posting the jobs and screening applicants. The next day Shaw’s announced it was going to lay off 4 percent of its employees system-wide in early April.
 
 
Related articles:
British Air cabin crews walk out
Boston school workers protest cuts, layoffs  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home