Giant Warehouse Workers Rally

JON SPRINGER

LANDOVER, Md. — Teamsters concerned about a potential closure of Giant Food's dry grocery warehouse in Jessup, Md., rallied at a Giant store this week, but their beef is really with supplier C&S Wholesale Grocers and not with Giant, the retailer here told SN.

Giant last year agreed to transfer its warehouse and its contract with Teamsters Local 730 to C&S, which has continued to operate the facility. Local 730 workers, concerned that C&S would move their work to a non-union facility in Pennsylvania, rallied at a Giant store in Greenbelt, Md., to protest the potential loss of jobs.

Giant in the meantime is negotiating with Local 730 on a new contract for its fresh grocery warehouse and with its truck drivers represented by Teamsters Local 639. Those agreements expire in May.

Giant acknowledged this week that it was "conducting a comprehensive business review, which includes exploring all of the company's options regarding the fresh warehouse and transportation businesses."

Al Rispoli, president of Teamsters Local 863 in New Jersey, attended the rally. Local 863 lost jobs recently as a result of C&S transferring A&P distribution from union facilities in Woodbridge, N.J. to Pennsylvania.