Two more of Connecticut”™s high-profile elected officials have come out in support of workers belonging to the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union in their strike against the Stop & Shop supermarket chain.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal made appearances over the weekend at UFCW picket lines in front of closed Stop & Shop stores in Fairfield, Hamden, Milford and Middletown. Blumenthal took to Twitter to repeat the strikers”™ charges against their employer.
“Thousands of @StopandShop workers & their families’ health care is at risk as the company raises costs & limits coverage,” he tweeted. “Proud to stand with these hardworking men & women as they fight for fair compensation & benefits.”
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz spent the weekend making appearances at UFCW picket lines in Hamden, Middletown and Simsbury, and used Twitter to frame her presence as a vote of statewide support. “Stay strong #Simsbury Stop & Shop workers!” she tweeted while showing a photograph of her signing a striker”™s sign. “Your fight is our fight.”
Other politicians offered moral support but were physically absent from the picket lines. Rep. Jahana Hayes sent her outreach director, Kalya Reasco, to stand in for a photo shoot with strikers. “Team @RepJahanaHayes stood alongside Stop & Shop workers in Simsbury today,” Reasco tweeted.
Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton was challenged by a constituent on Twitter about his lack of public support for strikers. Boughton, a Republican who is seeking re-election, responded, “Happy to stop by. Let me know best time.”
The Stop & Shop strike did not rate any public comment from U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, U.S. Rep. Jim Himes or Gov. Ned Lamont ”“ the latter used his Twitter feed this weekend to offer congratulations to Tiger Woods for his U.S. Open victory.
