I just read that Exxon is planning to invest more than $240 million in Baton Rouge site. But didn't Baton Rouge just get decimated in the latest layoffs? You know, less than two weeks ago?? So how does this make any sense? What exactly are they investing in? Who will do the work? They couldn't have used the money to save the employees?
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Straight answer. Many of the people let go were engineers. I'm sure the company would love to hire them back on doing wage / physical labor, but in all honesty, the engineers being let go would likely not work on these projects. Why would they? We still have plenty of engineers in Houston that can pick up the work.
And Public Affairs is terrified that some of the PIP victims or the ones more recently nudged out the door will show up at the hearings on their tax exemptions and ask that very question. Or that the various political groups, many who already oppose these tax breaks will ask (rightfully) about how the company can be asking for huge tax breaks to create a small fraction of jobs compared to those they just chopped. Will the employees that got paid off get an opportunity to fill any of these new jobs? Reasonable questions to ask, but don’t expect to hear any straight answers.
Darren LOVES 3% ROR refinery projects. It’s just in his blood and he can’t shake it.
Two factors involved:
- Tax Subsidies from local/state government make it a wash. PR is all good.
- The BR facilities are so old they will inevitably explode within a few years. Again, PR involved.
Hope that helps.
Consistently inconsistent. A sign of terrible management.. but.. are you surprised? Since DW got on.. so much resources had been spent to tel him that whatever he is doing is great.. hoping that EM gets back to being the top dog is just lame..
You have to try to see it from the perspective of someone running a business. They have expenses that they need to minimize to produce a product. This investment of $200M+ is likely required for regulatory/safety/production purposes. They must minimize employment (a significant expense) to get their projects done.
What days layoffs and this investment have to do with anything?
We have an entire organization in Houston that can handle much of the design work. We all know most people at the site (technical or projects) wouldn't be handling the construction piece anyway.
@qir The article literally states that now new permanent jobs are tied to the project. Probably going to find a way to find a non-local contractor as well haha. Exxon keeps screwing over the residents of north Baton Rouge. The area next to the refinery has to be one of the poorest, crime ridden, and unhealthiest areas in the US. Truly sad
https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/article_0aee8eb0-3fb4-11eb-a169-67bcf868197d.html
The articles regarding this state they will hire 600 contractors in 2021 &an additional 600 in 2022. Approximately 800-1000 will then be retained as company employees.
The BR facility is so old, the overhaul will lower emissions and save lives.
So spend money to just save the employees? Sounds like socialism.