IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT JOHN T. NICCOLLAI WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2025

REPORT ON FIFTH MAJOR EMPLOYER CONTRACT NEGOTIATION SESSION

President Niccollai reported that the fifth negotiating session between the Union and ShopRite, Stop and Shop, Kings, Foodtown, DeCicco’s and other independent employers was held yesterday, August 5, 2025, at the Wyndham hotel in Totowa, New Jersey.  This meeting also encompassed the Union actuaries submitting additionally requested information to the company actuaries at the conclusion of the session between the company representatives and the Union negotiating committee.

A good negotiator knows that the process of negotiating relates to issues not personalities and emotions should always be under control.  In all candor, as your chief spokesperson, I am starting to get angry and yesterday I got the impression that the employers picked up on the fact that I, along with the committee, am getting frustrated with the failure to address our needs and concerns. 

Your Union negotiating committee was successful in getting a second contract proposal from the companies in an attempt to achieve a contract.  However, we must point out that the proposal was primarily concessions, give-backs and a totally inadequate wage proposal.  Among some of the proposals submitted to the Union negotiating committee were as follows:

• Eliminate personal holidays
• Delete holiday premiums
• Eliminate Sunday as a premium day
• Include Sunday as part of the regular work week
• Replace the defined-benefit pension plan with a defined-contribution benefit plan for both full-time and part-time employees which would no longer guarantee specific payouts
• Modify the healthcare plan for both full-time and part-time employees requiring monthly co-pay contributions equal to the highest amount permitted by law (which currently equals 9.5% of wages paid)
• Establish a new healthcare plan for newly hired full-time and part-time employees with contributions inadequate to provide major medical, hospital stays or doctors’ visits
• Deletion of legal services and the educational benefit for new hires

In terms of proposed wages, the companies proposed increases for full-timers depending on classification between $12.50 and $15.00 per week annually and for part-timers wage increases of $0.25 per hour annually.

In computing the wage increases for both full-time and part-time employees adjusted with the co-pay for medical, both our full-time and part-time members would be worse off with this new contract than they would have been continuing to work under the pre-existing agreement.  In other words, this newly proposed contract is actually moving us backwards economically.

As many of my bothers and sisters know, I grew up in this industry and worked in this industry.  It is difficult and dangerous work.  We are on our feet all day.  It takes a terrible toll on our bodies for career employees.  We put our lives on the line during the pandemic to keep our employers in business and prevent what would have certainly become civil insurrection if society was unable to get food.  Some of our brothers and sisters died of Covid.

As your Union President, what we are getting from our employers is just a bunch of bull.  It is time for us to let our employers know that we have earned and deserved a contract with substantial wage increases for both our full-time and part-time employees.  We also have earned and deserved the continuation of our no co-pay medical plan for both full-time and part-time employees and maintaining our non-contributory pension plans for both full-time and part-time employees.  As your Union President, I deeply believe that these goals are set in concrete and cannot be negotiated away.

I would respectfully ask in the course of the next few days that you find time at your work site to let management know that we will not accept a contract that destroys our pension plan, requires medical co-pay and doesn’t address meaningful wage increases for both our full-time and part-time workers.  Your voice, added to that of your contract negotiating committee, can make a big difference in a successful result.

Thank you.  Keep the faith and God bless.