More layoffs planned at BIW
Bath Iron Works yesterday announced another round of 130 layoffs, this time among tradespeople working on the DDG-51 destroyer program.
Spokesman Jim DeMartini told Mainebiz that the layoffs, effective March 2, will affect production workers in eight categories, including carpenters, electricians, machinists and pipefitters, represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers' Local S6 union. DeMartini attributed the layoffs to the end of certain production work related to the last DDG-51 destroyer BIW is building, which is slated for christening in May. The shipyard will attempt to move workers to other areas of work to minimize the total number of layoffs, he said.
The DDG-51 program, the shipyard's mainstay, was originally scheduled to end but the Department of Defense in 2009 decided to restart the program. BIW has been slated to build one of two ships in the restarted line and is currently negotiating with the Navy for a contract; however, Congress has not yet finalized a fiscal year 2011 defense spending bill, and the Navy cannot award the work under the current continuing resolution without obtaining a special contract, DeMartini said. He did not know when that might occur.
In January, BIW laid off 130 designers and engineers from the new DDG-1000 destroyer class as design work on the first of the three ships ended. The Navy has awarded BIW some funding for advance work for the second and third ships in the line, and negotiations between BIW and the Navy for the full contracts are ongoing. U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree recently met with Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who pledged that BIW would continue to receive advance funding while negotiations are under way, according to a press release from her office.
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