Tamarkin operations transition to new location, some employees displaced
By Kalea Hall
AUSTINTOWN
Giant Eagle has started to transition its frozen-food distribution operations from the Tamarkin facility on Victoria Road in Austintown to another facility in Northeast Ohio.
The Pittburgh-based company said a majority of the product is now managed at the new facility.
“Many team members continue to work at the Tamarkin facility as activities come to a close over the next several weeks, while a smaller percentage have been displaced,” said Dan Donovan, marketing manager, corporate communications at Giant Eagle.
Some employees have accepted positions in other areas of Giant Eagle, and others have received support from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
“Around 47 are laid off, and the rest are still working,” said Ralph “Sam” Cook, Teamsters Local 377 secretary-treasurer.
The closing of the Tamarkin plant at 375 Victoria Road was announced in February after a labor dispute between Giant Eagle and the 165 members of Teamsters Local 377.
Union members voted against the company’s contract offer twice. The second time it was rejected by four votes.
Of top concern with the contract was the replacement of the union’s pension fund with a 401(k) benefit plan.
The contract did offer a newly built facility in the Youngstown area to replace the facility Giant Eagle said was outdated.
The Tamarkin Co. has a long-standing history in the Mahoning Valley. Prior to Giant Eagle’s purchasing the company in the early 1980s, the distribution center supplied Valu King grocery stores and others under the Tamarkin family’s direction.
Before this year’s announcement to close the plant, where about 200 worked, the Tamarkin Co. supplied 427 retail locations across four states.
In mid-March, union members voted in favor of the company’s severance-package offer.
The severance package offered a continuation of health care to a certain amount and pay dependent on the amount of time worked at the company.