Advertisement Former Vice President Joe Biden attends Boston rally in support of striking Stop & Shop workers Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Former Vice President Joe Biden showed his support for striking supermarket workers in New England.Biden spoke Thursday at a rally in support of unionized Stop & Shop employees outside a store in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood.United Food and Commercial Workers union members at 240 Stop & Shop stores in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut went on strike on April 11 to protest what they call cuts to health care and take-home pay in the company's latest contract proposal."How can they make that money, buy back all that stock and tell you they're going to cut wages? They're going to cut overtime? They're going to cut your medical care benefits? I mean, how in God's name does that match anything, not a joke?," Biden asked the crowd. "I know you're used to hearing political speeches and I'm a politician, I get it," he continued. "But this goes way beyond that, guys. This is way beyond that. This is wrong. This is morally wrong what's going on around this country."Quincy-based Stop & Shop, a division of Dutch company Ahold Delhaize, says it is offering across-the board raises and "excellent" health care benefits that beat industry standards."There is nothing we want more than having our associates back in the stores, taking care of customers and our communities. We have offered fair and responsible contracts and remain in active negotiations to reach new agreements as quickly as possible that keep our associates among the highest paid grocery retail workers in New England, while also providing excellent health care and increased contributions to a defined benefit pension plan," Stop & Shop said in a statement.Biden, mulling a run for the Democratic nomination for president, last week tweeted his support for Stop & Shop workers.Biden was joined by Sen. Ed Markey, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and State Treasurer Deb Goldberg.