Contract negotiations between the Stop and Shop grocery chain and its five union locals have continued today. Federal mediators are at the table.
Stop and Shop has 240 stores in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The contract under negotiation covers 36,000 employees and would run through 2012.
The union locals have set a deadline for a tentative agreement of midnight tonight before they would go on strike. A 24-hour notice of a strike is required under their contract.
Is this the best time for a strike at a store that is competing for business? Are the profits of a business more important than the employees trying to earn a living? Are both sides are facing a test of wills that could lead to their destruction? Businesses come and go and so do employees. There are a lot of people who will find jobs at the stores being struck by the unions and there are several retail companies opening new outlets providing competition.
Could this be a lose / lose situation for both if there is a strike? Could this be a win / win situation by employing the art of compromise? Time will tell.