On March 7th the workers at Shaws in New England struck the company. This week the company announced it plans to hire permanent replacement workers to displace hundreds of long-term employees. 

The Company’s final offer would require workers and their families to shoulder outlandish health care costs.

“Instead of returning to the bargaining table to negotiate a contract that provides decent wages and benefits, the Company has taken this dispute to a new level," said UFCW Local 791 spokesman Peter Derouen.

“Many of these men and women have worked at the warehouse for many years. By threatening to bring in replacement workers, Shaw’s is jeopardizing the livelihoods of hundreds of workers and their families. It is long past time for the Company to return to the table and publicly demonstrate its commitment to their hard working and dedicated employees who have helped make Shaw’s a successful company,” said Derouen.

Local 791 will closely monitor Shaw’s activities in this regard to determine if it is violating federal labor laws. In conjunction with this, the Union is also demanding that Shaw’s provide them with any documents that it is using during the replacement hiring process.

The Union has offered to restart negotiations in pursuit of a fair agreement, but Shaw’s has thus far refused. UFCW members, community leaders, and concerned shoppers will continue to picket the Methuen warehouse and Shaw’s non-union store locations until the company returns to the bargaining table.

The workers have a Facebook group, which anyone can go to and show their solidarity with the workers. The link for that is here.