Electric Boat Warns Town Of 23 Layoffs In April

Electric Boat has notified the town that it expects to lay off 23 people as of April 15, Groton Town Manager Mark Oefinger told the Town Council Tuesday.

Under state law, employers must notify the state and local community if they plan to lay off a large number of employees, but Electric Boat has made a practice of warning Groton officials before they announce any layoffs, Oefinger said.

He said circumstances often change, but added, “This is the best information that they have that they’re passing onto us, that there will be 23 individuals laid off in a couple of months.”

The 23 employees are carpenters who would be excused beginning April 15, with layoffs finished two weeks later.  All are represented by the Metal Trades Council of New London County.

Robert H. Nardone, vice president of Human Resources and Administration for Electric Boat, notified Groton Mayor James Streeter by fax with a letter dated Feb. 11.

 “A decline in contracted work for Electric Boat at the 75 Eastern Point Road, Groton, (Conn.) facility makes it necessary for us to initiate a permanent reduction in force,” the letter said.  “Advance notice is being provided to allow adjustment time for the affected employees, their families, local government and the State of Connecticut.”

Last month, Electric Boat President John P. Casey told legislators and local officials that the company's business outlook is stable for 2011, with growth in engineering jobs, but "softness" in demand for some trade jobs in Groton.

He said Electric Boat would hire 300 to 400 engineers in the coming year, but would see "shortages of tasks to accomplish on the Groton waterfront," particularly in the last half of the year. 

Electric Boat employs about 10,000 people, including 7,500 in Groton. The company announced Friday it had received an additional $60 million contract from the U.S. Navy to handle design work on Virginia-class submarines. The contract will not increase the number of workers in Groton, however.

Another of Groton's major employers, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, announced plans on Feb. 1  to lay off up to 1,100 people locally during the next 18 to 24 months. The cuts amount to about 25 percent of the company's 4,500 employees in the Groton-New London area.