Teamsters to Albertsons' Miller: Delay warehouse closing

Teamsters representing workers at the two Safeway distribution centers slated for closure have appealed to the company’s CEO for an extension.

As reported in SN, the centers, operated by C&S Wholesale Grocers for Safeway, are scheduled to close Dec. 5, with work outsourced to other C&S facilities.

A Safeway spokesman told SN last week that the company intended to sell the Upper Marlboro, Md., warehouse, which provided grocery and perishables to Safeway’s Eastern Division stores.

In a letter to Safeway parent Albertsons Companies CEO Robert Miller, James P. Hoffa, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, urged the company to adopt a 180-day moratorium on closing the facility so as to allow the 700 union workers at the facilities to meet to discuss alternatives to closing the sites.

“The Safeway brand owes the people of Maryland — and the workers, shoppers and communities who have supported Safeway for decades — the chance to find a just solution,” the letter said.

A Safeway spokesman was not immediately available for further comment.