Stop & Shop and its major employee union have called on federal and state governments to designate workers as “extended first responders” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stop & Shop is the largest supermarket chain in Connecticut. Its president made the appeal alongside the head of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. They said the status would help grocery workers have priority access to testing, emergency childcare and other protections.
Stop & Shop also announced it would extend a 10% pay increase for its hourly workers through May 30.
The UFCW and the national chain Kroger made a similar request earlier for Kroger employees this month. The union represents more than a million workers in the United States and Canada.
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