Tamco center shows signs it may reopen, Teamster says

AUSTINTOWN -- Five former Tamco distribution center workers are back on the job, repairing equipment and cleaning.
Last week's return of the workers is a good sign that Snyder's Drug Stores may be close to reopening the warehouse, said Bob Bernat, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 377. But It's too early to say for sure that the warehouse will reopen, he said. The warehouse used to serve Phar-Mor stores.
Snyder's has received a tax abatement for the Victoria Road warehouse, but has said only that it is considering setting up a warehouse in either Austintown or Kansas City.
If it selects Austintown, it would need a lease or sale agreement with Giant Eagle, which owns the Tamco building. A Giant Eagle official said earlier this month that talks were continuing between the Pittsburgh-based grocer and Snyder's.
The Minnesota-based drugstore chain has told Bernat that it intends to hire about 150 former Tamco workers if it reopens the warehouse, which has been closed since July.
Tamco employed about 250 when it closed because Phar-Mor stores were shut down. Those workers were represented by the Teamsters.