Knowing his job will be gone by this time next year, David Benoit is no less loyal to his employer.
McDermott International announced last week it is closing its Morgan City fabrication yard to consolidate operations at one in Mexico, a move that will cost the Tri-parish area roughly 350 jobs via phased layoffs as the yard finishes a backlog of work by early next year. To ease its employees’ transition into new jobs, McDermott brought in representatives from a host of bayou region employers who seek to add the skillsets McDermott will shed.
Benoit, for one, met with an agent of Gulf Island Fabricators. He was told his experience as a welders’ trainer was needed and left the meeting confident that he would eventually land with the company.
“It looks like we’re getting everything back, and that’s a good thing, they’re trying to help us. … But I can’t leave until I get laid off because I still owe my dedication to McDermott,” said Benoit, 60, who has worked at the facility for nearly half his life.
Multiple McDermott employees, who have for months listened to speculation about the yard’s closure and mass layoffs that would follow, expressed similar sentiments. The yard’s wind-down will be an emotional, life-changing event in many cases, but those interviewed said they trust the Jindal administration’s pledge to shepherd them into familiar roles under other area employers.
Three hundred fifty jobs will be wiped from the state’s slate, but the economic loss will be minimized as long as the McDermott employees find a landing spot. Louisiana is home to thousands of job vacancies, in no small part attributable to a lack of skilled laborers.