BELLINGHAM, WA - While many Haggen employees are struggling since the chain announced it is completely withdrawing from the Pacific Southwest Market, those that joined the retailer from Albertsons and Vons could see a measure of relief.

Santa Barbara Independent reports that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved Albertsons' application to rehire the employees that Haggen inherited when it first purchased 146 stores earlier this year. The ruling dissolves the antitrust restriction that would prohibit Albertsons, Vons, and Pavilions from employing former workers until one year after the 2015 divestiture.

According to the report, pharmacy staff still cannot be re-hired by their former employer, however, the union representing Haggen’s employees, UFCW Local 770, said in a press release that it continues to work with the FTC on lifting the restriction completely.

As we previously reported, Haggen recently announced that it was working with Albertsons to achieve this goal on the behalf of its employees, despite a recent feud between the two chains involving a law action filed for over $40 million in inventory unpaid and and a counter action of $1 billion in damages.

Now the report confirms that the FTC’s ruling could benefit as many as 6,000 Haggen workers who would otherwise be unemployed if the U.S. Bankruptcy Court approves the chain’s large scale closure, or would have been in violation of their original contract with Haggen.

We will continue to update you on the chain’s movements, as well as all other influential retail news, as it develops.

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