More Than 500 Workers In Woodbridge Area May Lose Jobs

More than 500 workers in the Woodbridge area are facing possible job loss because of the expected closure of several grocery distribution centers.

The potential July 12 layoffs were first reported by NJBIZ and The Shelby Report, a trade publication.

According to a notice filed with the state Department of Labor, the potential layoffs involve:

• 22 workers at Blair Road Haulage LLC in the Avenel section of Woodbridge
• 85 workers at Blair Road Logistics LLC in Avenel
• 45 workers at Middlesex Avenue Haulage LLC in Carteret
• 364 workers at Middlesex Avenue Logistics LLC in Carteret
• 81 workers at Port Carteret Drive Logistics LLC in Carteret

That information was provided to the state through a WARN notice. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires companies to provide 60 days advance notice of plant closings and mass layoffs.

Last year, C&S Wholesale Grocers bought the food distribution companies in the bankruptcy of Associated Wholesalers Inc., The Shelby Report said.

Those companies in Carteret and the Avenel section of Woodbridge will stop operating in mid-July when C&S shifts distribution work to other facilities in the region, but about 45 of the workers are expected to move to offices in Edison, according to The Shelby Report.

That report said the company have invited the Teamsters to “participate in negotiations” about the roughly 435 union workers at those facilities.

The company also plans to negotiate severance packages, NJBIZ said.

The company supplies major stores, including Stop & Shop and A&P, according to NJ.com.