Valley Stream Waldbaum's among 32 to close

The Valley Stream Waldbaum's store is among the 32 supermarkets scheduled to close as part of the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. Inc.'s restructuring plan, according to company court filings.

The Montvale, N.J.-based company, which owns stores including A&P, Waldbaum's and Pathmark, last week filed a motion to shut down three other stores on Long Island and others in six states as it attempts to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

About 83 workers at the Valley Stream store who are represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 342 may be affected, said Kate Meckler, communications director for the union.

Local 342 expects that its members at that location will be transferred to other stores, but it's too early to determine where they will be placed, Meckler added. Stores are expected to close around April 15, court filings said.

"We will be making sure they [the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co.] will follow the terms they agreed to in the contract," she said.

Last week, the unions identified the Commack Pathmark store and Waldbaum's stores in Farmingdale and Smithtown as being slated for closure as part of the company's restructuring plan.

John Durso, president of Retail, Wholesale and Department Store/UFCW Local 338, said that there are about 160 employees in the Farmingdale and Smithtown stores. The company hasn't yet announced its plans for workers there, Durso added.

The union said it will help place its members in other jobs if necessary and has contacted the state Department of Labor to provide retraining, he said.