Gulf Coast shipyards reach out to skilled workers in Maine
Published 7:00 pm Wednesday, April 23, 2008
While Bath Iron Works fights for contracts to retain its work force, its chief competitor on the Gulf Coast has let it be know that it’s hiring.
The Times Record newspaper reports that Northrop Grumman has sent a glossy mailer to residents in the Bath area seeking “skilled men and women in all areas of shipbuilding.” To sweeten the deal, the mailer offers up to $10,000 to pay for relocation.
Jay Korman, senior Navy analyst for the Avascent Group, says it’s not an uncommon tactic for one shipbuilder to try to claim workers on another’s turf because there’s “a limited talent pool.”
Northrop Grumman’s shipbuilding division includes its Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., that competes directly with Bath Iron Works, as well as the Avondale shipyard in New Orleans.