County to offer services to P&C employees facing job losses

CANTON — St. Lawrence County's Office of Economic Development will provide outreach services to P&C Markets employees slated to lose their jobs in February.

In the north country, 446 employees, 332 of them working at five stores in St. Lawrence County, could lose their jobs if stores are not sold by Feb. 15, according to a recent letter to municipal officials from Penn Traffic Co., the grocery chain's parent company.

"I have been in contact with the human resources director in Syracuse to set up a rapid response orientation at the stores," said Stephen A. House, manager of the county's One-Stop Career Center. "We want to give them information about unemployment insurance and the employment services provided by the One-Stop. We're going to try to get this organized as quickly as we can."

Mr. House said it's not yet clear whether Penn Traffic Co. will allow staff to meet with employees in the stores. If in-store services cannot be provided, he said, One-Stop staff will seek other locations within communities where stores are expected to close.

Penn Traffic Co. notified municipal officials Friday that stores in Ogdensburg, Canton, Gouverneur, Potsdam, Massena, Lowville, Watertown, Pulaski and Carthage will close unless they are purchased by Feb. 15. Company officials cited declining sales, loss of market share, tight credit markets and upcoming expiration of credit arrangements as factors in the decision.

The company filed Wednesday for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. P&C employs 5,700 people companywide.