Stop and Shop extends pay raise for union workers

Stop & Shop and the United Food and Commercial Workers union said Monday that the supermarket chain is extending the 10% raise for union hourly store workers through the end of May.

Workers in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey will get the raise extension, which was announced March 22.

The company and the union are also calling on state and the federal governments to temporarily classify grocery store workers as "first responders" or "emergency personnel" during the coronavirus pandemic.

"This critical status would help ensure our state’s essential grocery workers have priority access to testing, emergency childcare, and other protections to keep themselves and their families safe and healthy," a joint statement said.