Stop & Shop employee says union members subjected him to homophobic slurs, threats and harassment [View all]

A Stop & Shop employee in western Massachusetts says he was subjected to homophobic slurs, threats and harassment from union members when he crossed the picket line, according to a federal complaint.

The employee filed federal unfair labor practice charges last week against United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1459 in Springfield. Among other charges, the employee claims that he was led to believe he would be fired from the Northampton store if he resigned from the union and went to work during the strike. He also alleged that he was harassed when he did cross the picket line, according to a copy of the charges provided to MassLive.

The complaint surfaced nearly a week after an estimated 31,000 union employees in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island walked off the job amid contract negotiations with Stop & Shop. The employees picketed outside the grocery stores, drawing attention from former Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and other Democrats, before a tentative agreement was announced on Sunday.

The employee, who asked not to be named, filed the charges with the National Labor Relations Board and is being represented by an attorney at the National Right To Work Legal Defense Foundation.

Read more: https://www.masslive.com/business/2019/04/stop-shop-employee-says-union-members-subjected-him-to-homophobic-slurs-threats-and-harassment.html