BIW to lay off 191 workers this month
The Associated Press
November 1, 2009
Bath Iron Works will lay off 191 workers this month because of delays in the design a new naval destroyer to be built at the shipyard starting next year.
The employees will be laid off Nov. 13 and are expected to be called back to work soon after the start of the new year, said Jim DeMartini, a company spokesman.
DeMartini said the affected workers include crane operators, electricians, insulators, pipe fitters, preservation technicians, ship fitters, stage builders, tin smiths and yard riggers. Representatives of the International Association of Machinists Local S-6 were told about the layoffs Friday.
BIW is in the process of shifting production to three next-generation destroyers, known as the DDG-1000s or Zumwalt-class destroyers. The gap in production led to a round of temporary layoffs in June, although most of those employees are now back at work, DeMartini said.
Longer-than-expected delays in the design process have led to the new round of layoffs, he said. Production work is now expected to ramp up after the first of the year, he said.