Pathmark Updates

If you're interested in what's happening with the A&P bankruptcy situation, especially as it relates to the A&P-owned Pathmark store on 12th Street, it's worth checking in on the UFCW site for their regular updates.  You might want to glance, for example, at A&P's lamentable management bonus plan.  Last I'd heard the 12th Street store was unsold - that's to say, there were no bids on it from other supermarket chains.  Yesterday the union posted a chart that laid out the sequence of bankruptcy procedures.


Friday, September 11th 

• All qualifying bids on the stores are due into the Bankruptcy Court.The Bankruptcy Court will hear UFCW's objections to A&P’s KERP (corporate bonus plan).

 Monday, September 21st 

• The Bankruptcy Court will announce what Tier I stores have agreements to be sold and what stores will be sold at the auction on September 24rd or 25th. 

Wednesday, September 24rd and/or Thursday, September 25th 

• The auction for the remaining unsold stores will be held. All qualifying bids on the stores are due into the Bankruptcy Court. The Bankruptcy Court will hear UFCW's objections to A&P’s KERP (corporate bonus plan). 

Friday, October 2nd 

• Bidders can file objections to the sale of stores in the Bankruptcy Court. The UFCW can also file objections to bids made on the stores. 

Wednesday, October 7th 

• A hearing will be held regarding the objections to the sales filed to the Bankruptcy Court. At this stage, the UFCW will have a voice during the auction process to make recommendations on bidders. For instance, if two companies place a comparable bid on the same store and one is a union employer, while the other is non-union, the unionized store would have an advantage and they should likely win the bid. Thursday, October 15th The winning bids of the stores will be formally announced. 

I spoke to a Pathmark employee outside the store last week.  She'd worked there for over twenty years, and was collecting signatures to try and keep the supermarket open.  I mentioned that I'd read at the union site that Key Food (bidding on other A&P stores) was proposing to cut pay, benefits, & hours of current A&P employees. and she confirmed their bad reputation.  A passing shopper, gruff of voice, chimed in to the conversation. "Fuck that Key Food bullshit!"