THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, April 19, 2019 Page 17 STOP&SHOP | FROM PAGE 1 workers of UFCW 1445 in their eff orts to secure fair working conditions and benefits for their workers at Stop & Shop,” said Ward 6 Councillor David Camell, who proposed the resolution. “Be it further resolved that we support good wages, health care and retirement benefi ts for workers throughout New England. All workers deserve respect and to share in the success of the businesses that they made possible,” added Camell. UFCW Local 1445 President Jeff Bollen released a video last week urging Stop & Shop workers to stay strong and stay united. “We’re done playing games with this company,” he said. According to UFCW leaders, Stop & Shop plans to cut Sunday and holiday pay for parttime workers and raise health insurance costs for plans that will increase deductibles from $1,000 to $2,000 for individuals, and from $2,500 to $5,000 for families. Other major contract disputes involve cuts in health-care coverage for spouses who are eligible for benefits from their employers, and cuts to pension plans for new full- and part-time employees. Stop & Shop offi cials have said they are off ering raises of 30 to 50 cents an hour pay to all workers. There will be no change in Sunday and holiday pay for full-time employees; however, part-time workers and new employees will see lower rates of pay for those shifts. According to the company, the increases in healthcare costs would range from $2 to $4 a week and there is no change in deductibles, at least for “gold-level plans.” Stop & Shop offi cials say there will be increases in pension contributions for employees hired before 2014, but some cuts for employees hired after that date. According to workers and union leaders, Ahold Delhaize earned more than $2 billion in profi ts last year and there is no justifi cation for any cuts in employee benefi ts. Stop & Shop offi cials say the wages and benefi ts they are off ering are among the best in the industry and the changes they are seeking are needed to remain competitive with other grocery chains. ~ OPEN HOUSE ~ Saturday, April 20 * 12:30 - 2:00 PM 63 HARVARD ST., CHELSEA PRATTVILLE SECTION NEW PRICE: $599,900. by iller Safe Ways to Get Rid of Expired, Unused Medicine Dear Savvy Senior, What’s the best, environmentally safe way to dispose of old and unused medications? My mother has a medicine cabinet chocked-full of pills, some of which haven’t been touched in 25 years, and I’d like to clean it out for her. Protective Daughter Dear Protective, Cleaning out the medicine cabinet is a chore that most people don’t think about, but it’s an important task that can help prevent medication problems, and protect children who may have access to these old, unused drugs. Here’s how you can clean out your mother’s medicine cabinet so it’s safe and useful. Return Them Your local pharmacy, as well as hospitals, clinics, long-term-care facilities, and narcotic treatment programs, might accept your mom’s unused medications, often as part of programs that collect and destroy unused drugs. Search for an authorized facility near you at DisposeMyMeds.org. You can also drop off her unused meds at designated police departments, fi re stations, and other sites on National Prescription Take Back Day, Saturday, April 27. To fi nd a collection site near you, visit TakeBackDay.dea.gov. A RARE GEM: Listed by Sandy. Located in the Historic Prattville section of Chelsea, former home to two mayors and state senator; featuring brand new kitchen and appliances with granite counter bedrooms-plus, two and half baths with tiled shower stall; half bath pine walk-in closets; wrap-around farmer’s porch; imported working space with two extra rooms, back yard and more! A block from T Bus Stop. Move in for the Holidays and start making memories! Sandy Juliano, BROKER CBR,ASP JRS PROPERTIES, INC. The service doesn’t end with the sale! Use a Disposal Kiosk Many Walgreens and CVS stores have free, anonymous, and secure kiosks where you can dispose of any medication. Remove your personal information from the packaging and drop unwanted medication, including opioids, in the slot. Mail Them Costco, Rite Aid and CVS pharmacies sell postage-paid envelopes for customers to mail any prescription, including opioids and over-the-counter medications, to a disposal facility. Throw Them Out If mailing them in or getting to one of the drop-off sites is not an option, you can dispose of them yourself, but do so carefully. The Food and Drug Administration recommends taking the medications out of their original bottles and putting them in a sealable plastic bag with an undesirable substance like coffee grounds, dirt or kitty litter. Then seal the plastic bag and throw it in the trash. This will make the medication less appealing to children, pets or other people who may fi sh through your trash. But don’t do this with dangerous drugs, such as opioids, which can be abused. For these, the FDA says fl ushing them down the toilet is OK. But trace amounts of drugs can end up in the water supply so this should be done only as a last resort. To see the FDA list of medications that should be fl ushed when they are no longer needed, go to FDA. gov and type “fl ush list” into the search box. Or, another option is to purchase some medication disposal bags like the Medsaway Medication Disposal System. These are carbon pouches that are designed to neutralize all medication including narcotics, liquid medication, transdermal patches and controlled substances so you can just add water, and toss them in the trash. You can fi nd medication disposal bags at some local pharmacies or online at Amazon.com for around $15. You’ll also want to make sure to scratch out all your mom’s personal information on the empty medicine bottles or other packaging before throwing it away to protect her identity and privacy. If you have other questions about proper drug disposal, talk to your pharmacist. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
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