Et Cetera
STOP & SHOP WORKERS IN CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS THIS WEEK
- Mary Lancaster
Nantucket's Stop & Shop union employees joined their mainland colleagues on Sunday to vote unanimously for a worker walk-out if contract disputes do not reach acceptable agreements.

Talks on issues regarding insurance costs, wage increases and the employee pension plan began a month and a-half ago and as of midnight Saturday, Feb. 17 when the union contract expired, negotiations with the company were at a stalemate. James Riley, secretary and treasurer for Local 328 of the United Food & Commercial Workers, representing the island's 75 full and part-time Stop & Shop employees as well as workers totaling 10,000 in the region, said negotiations will continue through Thursday. If terms satisfactory to the union are not met by that time, a stance on the strike action will be reviewed for a potential walk-out date.

"A strike vote sends a very, very strong message to the company that the workers have turned their backs on it," said Riley.

On Sunday, votes were taken at morning and afternoon meetings at The Jared Coffin House splitting the meat and deli departments from grocery workers and clerks. Teleconferencing was arranged for the sessions so island employees could hear what was happening with mainland votes. Stop & Shop employees in Connecticut and western Massachusetts cast unanimous strike ballots on Feb. 5.

One local employee who voted to strike and will not be identified, said he hopes that if a strike occurs it does not last long because for Nantucketers, unlike grocery workers on the mainland, there is little opportunity to find alternative employment while resolutions are ironed out.

But recognizing the financial impact a strike can have on the employees, the union has a back-up system. Riley explained that the strike mandate, sanctioned by the international union, provides for temporarily unemployed members to receive $100 a week and also includes a hardship fund if people are threatened with loss of housing or face other vital, emergency issues while they are on strike.

The challenged contract points include company requested co-payments on health insurance premiums. Riley said Stop & Shop is not improving the current Blue Cross/Blue Shield plan to substantiate the co-pays.

Maintaining that Shop & Shop's employees help make the company the top grocer in the New England market, they seek a fair wage raise reflecting their commitment and cost of living. Riley would not specify the sought after increase; however visitors to Nantucket's store have likely noticed that posted wages for new applicants have remained at $10 an hour and $15 an hour on Sundays for several years.

The third sticking point is about the employee's defined benefit pension plan guaranteeing them a monthly pay-out according to the years they have been vested in the program. Stop & Shop wants to replace the plan with a 401K program, something Riley and others deem risky.

Stop & Shop is owned by the Holland-based Royal Ahold and has 70 markets in southeastern Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. A total of 44,000 store employees were involved in the strike vote.

READ FINE PRINT BEFORE SWITCHING POWER PROVIDER If you are a National Grid customer you may have received an invitation in the mail from MXenergy to do business with them and save on electric costs through the month of April.

Instead of taking a defensive stance on the competition, National Grid spokesmen say choice is a good thing, but at the same time they advise consumers to learn the conditions of any service offer before switching from one provider to another.

Dave Fredericks, Vice-president of National Grid (formerly Nantucket Electric) said offers such as MXenergy's have become more and more common since deregulation of the electric industry five years ago.

"In the short term there may be benefits, but the risks can vary and it is up to the consumer to find out what they are," said Fredericks. "It is about choice, but you need to become educated. What may be good for me may not be good for you."

MXenergy, with headquarters in Stamford, Conn. and offices in Texas, New Jersey and Maryland, sells electricity in Massachusetts and New York and natural gas in 12 states and Canada. The mailed-out offer outlines an introductory rate eight percent lower than National Grid's and guaranteed savings through April. Customers signing up before Feb. 28 will receive a $25 rebate. The offer also promises to be risk-free with no enrollment or cancellation fees because it is a variable rate plan.

"We buy our electricity on the open market and at times we can offer a lower rate than the utility," said Pamela Fink, director of public relations for MXenergy. "This is a variable rate product available through the end of April, then, like the utilities, we will determine what the price will be then. Beyond April, no one knows what the energy market will do. People need to make their own decisions on what works for their budget. We saw an opportunity to offer cost savings in this market - it's really that simple. People can go back to National Grid at any time."

But in the fine print at the bottom of the mail offer, consumers are advised to learn their obligations under their existing contract, which may include penalties for early termination.

Debbie Drew in National Grid's corporate communications office explained that while electricity costs change every 90 days for commercial and industrial users, the residential rate for National Grid is reset every six months with the next period beginning May 1 and lasting through October.

"No one has a crystal ball, so no one, neither MXenergy or National Grid, knows what that pricing will be," she said of the future cost of power.

And, Drew explained, National Grid charges a utility generation adjustment if customers leave the company during their contract to sign up with a competitor. That amount is calculated on kilowatt hour usage by finding the difference between the fixed and variable rates from the start of the most recent pricing period to the date

the customer makes the switch. I