Joe Biden: No Dignity Shown To Striking Stop & Shop Workers

BOSTON — Former Vice President Joe Biden, who has hinted at a possible run for president, rallied with hundreds of striking Stop & Shop workers in Dorchester Thursday afternoon. Biden, 76, who grew up in a working-class home, compared those gathered in Boston to his father. He praised the union workers for building America's middle class.

"People are entitled to be treated with respect and dignity and fairness," Biden told the crowd. "I've had it up to here like a lot of you have."

Last week, presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren also rallied with striking Stop & Shop workers in Somerville. Like Warren, Biden spoke at length about the middle class.

"You built America," Biden told a crowd of hundreds of workers protesting in the cold rain.

The workers and supporters converged in the parking lot at the South Bay Shopping Center in Dorchester, some holding signs reading "On Strike: Unfair Labor Practices" and demanding a "fair" contract. Hundreds filled the parking lot where a stage was set up and union workers shared their stories ahead of a visit with Biden, who took the stage for 8 minutes.

"This parent company made $4 billion in the last two years. They got almost $250 million in tax cuts in that damn ... that the president put through," he said as union workers booed.

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh also spoke as the temperatures dipped and it started to rain.

"We have to make sure we stand up for our working-class people," said Walsh. "I'm here today because the workers who work in that store behind me, they're vital to our economy.

U.S. Sen. Edward Markey told those gathered he respected their fight.

"I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you and this fight we will not give up," he said.

Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, whose family used to own Stop & Shop also spoke.

Thousands of Stop & Shop workers in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut remained on strike Thursday, a week after walking out amid failed contract negotiations between their union and the company.

Sean Killiea, who works at the Brookline Stop & Shop, said employees are standing firm.

"We're just standing up saying enough's enough," Killiea told Patch earlier. "The end goal is just a fair contract. That's all we want we don't need anything extra. They're the number one corporation ... We just want what's fair."

The workers, represented by the United Food & Commercial Workers Locals 1445, 328, 371, 919 and 1459, walked off the job around 1:15 p.m. April 11. Customers were asked to leave their groceries behind and leave the stores. Union members and supporters have set up shop outside the stores imploring shoppers to go elsewhere and keeping new deliveries from being delivered.

The union and the company spent about three months negotiating to find agreement on a new work contract. Stop & Shop’s contract with the union expired on Feb. 23, and the two sides have been divided about wage levels, take-home pay and retirement benefits.

"Given that negotiations with assistance of the federal mediators are continuing, we are disappointed that the UFCW chose to order a work stoppage in an attempt to disrupt service at our stores," Stop & Shop said in a statement.

Company officials said they will continue to negotiate and published their most recent contract proposals to each of the five unions on their website. Their most recent proposal includes pay increases for all associates and no change to the Sunday time-and-a-half premiums, according to the company:

But union members said the company is proposing wage and benefit cuts that would hurt customer service. They also repeatedly note that the Stop & Shop parent company Ahold Delhaize earned $2 billion in profits last year.

The walkouts affected 134 stores in Massachusetts, 92 in Connecticut and 27 in Rhode Island. A Stop & Shop spokesperson said in an email Friday the "majority" of its stores in Massachusetts will remain open. Banks and pharmacies will also be open even if the supermarket is closed; however, all gas stations are closed.

The strike is reminiscent of a 2014 walkout by Market Basket workers who protested successfully against the ouster of CEO Arthur T. Demoulas, who vowed to protect wages and benefits.

RELATED:

• Joe Biden To Join Workers At Dorchester Stop & Shop Rally
• Elizabeth Warren Rallies With Striking Stop & Shop Workers

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).