The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., commonly known as A&P, is selling its assets in bankruptcy proceedings. Unfortunately, the potential buyers of those assets have said they will not continue three of the company's pension plans. PBGC intends to assume responsibility for three single-employer plans, and is working to protect the interests of plan participants in those plans.
PBGC is terminating three A&P plans:
- Delaware County Dairies, Inc. Hourly Employees Pension Plan ("Delaware Dairies Plan"),
- Pathmark Stores, Inc. Pension Plan ("Pathmark Plan"), and
- The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc. Pension Plan ("A&P Plan").
Please note that the New York-New Jersey Amalgamated Pension Plan for A&P Employees has not been terminated and is an ongoing plan. This plan has been renamed the New York-New Jersey Amalgamated Pension Plan for ACME Employees. If you have questions about this plan, please contact Jim Meese, UFCW Local 464A, at 973-256-6790.
Employees and retirees of A&P or its affiliates who are participants in the A&P Plan, Pathmark Plan, and Delaware Dairies Plan will continue to receive benefits until PBGC assumes responsibility. What this means is that retirees will continue to get benefits without interruption, and future retirees can apply for benefits as soon as they are eligible.
PBGC is working with A&P to gather plan data and records. If you are eligible to retire under your pension plan, you may request to start the process to determine your eligibility for a retirement benefit under your pension plan. You may submit your request to retire in writing to:
PBGC
Office of Benefits Administration
P.O. Box 151750
Alexandria, VA 22315-9923
Or, you may call the PBGC Customer Contact Center toll free at 1-800-400-7242, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday - Friday (except federal holidays). TTY/ASCII users may call 711.
PBGC is working with A&P to obtain plan records, and we will notify you in writing regarding the A&P Plan, Pathmark Plan or Delaware Dairies Plan when we have completed our initial review. This process normally takes 6-8 months. In the meantime, you may submit your request for a benefit estimate in writing to:
PBGC
Office of Benefits Administration
P.O. Box 151750
Alexandria, VA 22315-9923
Or, you may call the PBGC Customer Contact Center toll free at 1-800-400-7242, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday - Friday (except federal holidays). TTY/ASCII users may call 711.
PBGC will continue to pay your pension benefit until a review of the pension plan is completed. PBGC only withholds federal income taxes and certain court-ordered deductions. You will have to pay separately any state taxes or other amounts (such as health insurance) now being deducted.
We are identifying and collecting these from A&P. PBGC will process them once we have the data to calculate your retirement benefit.