QUINCY — Stop & Shop employees throughout New England are walking off the job Thursday to protest a proposal offer from their employer.

Five local unions representing about 31,000 employees decided to strike after weeks-long contract negotiations with Dutch company Ahold Delhaize, Stop & Shop's parent.

About 50 workers walked off the job at the Stop and Shop in Hingham.

The workers' last contract with the company expired on Feb. 23 and the two sides have been negotiation since.

Stop and Shop employees are represented by five local chapters of the United Food and Commercial Workers union. UFCW Local 328 represents workers on the South Shore, Cape and Islands and Rhode Island and authorized a strike last month.

Joyce Lawson, a 71-year-old worker of the Whitman Stop & Shop walked out Thursday and said her employer was trying to take away too much in negotiations.

"The corporate will not budge, they are trying to take a way too many benefits " Lawson said. "I don't know how they can do this and sleep at night."



Based in Quincy, Stop & Shop has more than 400 stores in New England, New York and New Jersey. Locally, it has stores in Abington, Braintree, Brockton, Cohasset, Halifax, Hingham, Kingston, Norwell, Pembroke, Plymouth, Quincy, Stoughton, Weymouth and Whitman.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.