We have a major announcement for our members in New Jersey in the meat, seafood, and deli departments covered under our “ShopRite Meat” contract!

For many months, UFCW Local 152 has been negotiating with your Employer to fight for your right to earn sick leave under the New Jersey Earned Sick Leave Act. We are excited to announce that we have succeeded!

Retroactive to January 1st, 2022, all members in New Jersey will accrue paid sick time at the rate of one (1) hour for every thirty (30) hours worked, up to a maximum of forty (40) hours per year.

Please keep in mind the following:

• Members must give their employer a minimum of two hours’ notice when the use of sick time is foreseeable.
• Any accrued and unused sick time will be paid out at the end of the year.
• Employees can use paid sick leave in any manner consistent with the requirements of the New Jersey Earned Sick Leave Act.

This memorandum does NOT impact or change any other paid time off, such as vacations and holidays. This new sick time is in addition to all the other time off to which you are contractually entitled. Because this memorandum is retroactive to January 1st, most members will have already accrued enough time to start using this new sick leave immediately.

Please note that because this is a New Jersey-specific law, this newly negotiated sick leave only applies to members who work in New Jersey. In the event that neighboring states implement similar laws, UFCW Local 152 will negotiate for the same paid sick time for our other members.

UFCW Local 152 continues to work tirelessly to improve the lives of our members, even between contracts. Stay tuned, as we plan to continue to announce several more improvements within the next few weeks. For any questions you may have, please contact your Union Representative.