PORT ANGELES — Managers of yacht manufacturer Westport Shipyard Inc. have told employees in Port Angeles that they will not be part of last week’s round of layoffs at three of its yacht-building facilities, but added that the future of its Marine Drive and 18th Street workshops remains unknown.
“You could have heard a pin drop,” at the Thursday meeting, said a worker, who asked not to be identified, at Westport’s cabinet shop on 18th Street.
Hoquiam, La Conner layoffs
Westport laid off employees Thursday in its home office in Westport, as well as in facilities in Hoquiam and La Conner.
Production at each of the three facilities is being lowered by one yacht per year.
The Daily World in Aberdeen, citing Westport employees, reported that between 100 to 120 people lost their jobs.
The Port Angeles cabinet shop makes all of the interior woodwork for Westport’s yachts, and employs 274 people.
Westport’s yacht-building facility on Marine Drive — where the firm makes 164-foot yachts that start at about $34 million — employs 299 people.
Company officials in Port Angeles and in Westport declined to say how many people lost their jobs, or if job cuts are planned for Port Angeles.
“I can’t comment beyond what’s in the fax,” said Bob Ruecker, Westport human resources director, referring to a prepared statement for those employees that lost their jobs.
Westport statement
That statement attributed the layoffs to the economic downturn.
“While we have been able to weather the storm better and longer than many of our competitors, neither Westport or its customers are immune to this situation,” the statement said.
Phil Beirnes, Westport general manager, declined all comment on Friday.
He told the Peninsula Daily News on Wednesday that the company had cancelled plans for adding additional yacht-building lines due to the poor economy, but that no layoffs were planned.
Berines also said that the Port Angeles cabinet shop will complete its $1.3 million, 16,500-square-foot expansion within a month.
He said in November that the expansion will allow Westport to hire 50 people, and that the company had enough orders for 2009.
Stacie Kunce, human resources manager at the cabinet shop, said she could not answer questions on the expansion, such as if additional people will be hired.
Another employee at the cabinet shop — who also to be unidentified, said he was shocked by the announcement, but that, at the same time, the news wasn’t too surprising.
It’s “just the economy,” he said. “It’s going around. Bound to hit sooner or later.”
He said that no layoffs in Port Angeles were announced.
“We were forewarned it could happen, but not now.
“So far, so good.”
Four employees at the yacht-building facility said they had not been told of the layoffs at the three other locations.
Although taken aback by the news, Theran Dimmick, a finish carpenter at the Port Angeles yacht-building facility, said he isn’t worried about his own job.
“I know my job is very secure,” he said.
“Last I was told, I had boats sold until 2011.”
________
Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
Staff writer Paul Gottlieb contributed to this report.
