General Dynamics-NASSCO, the last major shipbuilder on the West Coast, said it plans to lay off 300 to 350 workers in San Diego over the next several months.

A fixture in city’s industrial corridor for nearly 60 years, the company said the layoffs are tied to a flood at a graving dock July 11 involving the construction of a Navy expeditionary sea base. The accident led to the ship, the Miguel Keith, floating off the docking blocks and taking on water.

In a notice filed with the state, NASSCO listed 1,493 jobs that could be affected. But in a statement sent to the California Employment Division Department, company president Kevin Graney said he anticipated that only about one-fifth of those potential layoffs could occur between late September and early October.

NASSCO does not know how long the layoffs could last but said they may extend through the rest of this year.


“We are pursuing all available options to avoid or lessen the impact of these reductions and hope to increase our workforce as soon as a possible to support work expected in 2019,” Graney told the state.

NASSCO employees have been notified of the layoffs. In its filing with the state, NASSCO estimated 129 welders, 93 ship fitters, 90 pipe welders and 85 electricians could lose their jobs.

“We regret the impact this will have on employees and their families,” NASSCO spokesman Dennis DuBard said in a statement. “The company has arranged a variety of programs and resources to assist those who will be affected.”

Robert Godinez, president of the Boilermakers Union Local 1998, said he acknowledges the company may need to make cuts in light of the July incident but said 117 members of his union have been laid off by NASSCO since June, including 83 since the accident.


Godinez said those employees were not given 60 days notice, as per the California’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act that requires employers to give workers and their representatives two months advance notice of a plant closing or mass layoffs.

“Shipyard workers live from check to check,” Godinez said. “When that check doesn’t come in, it’s very difficult to pay the rent, pay the mortgage, feed the kids and pay the bills. If you tell someone 60 days in advance, they prepare for it and they prepare for that check not being there week to week.”

DuBard declined to comment on the remarks by Godinez.

In April, Godinez said NASSCO put out the word it was hiring about 1,100 new employees but said in June the company reversed course.


“This caught everyone by surprise,” Godinez said, “because we’re supposed to be in a hiring mode, not a layoff mode.”

NASSCO describes San Diego as its main shipyard, with a channel depth of 35 feet. The facility encompasses 80 acres of land and 46 acres of water. Its graving dock is 1,000 feet long and 174 feet wide with a lift capacity of 30,000 long tons.

San Diego fire officials, according to 10 News, said the accident last month came after a barrier keeping water out of the graving dock holding the Miguel Keith collapsed.

The ship took on water through hull cuts that had been made to support its construction and outfitting. There were no injuries and the Navy declared the ship “stable” but helicopter video of the incident showed debris floating around the dock.


The cause of the accident has not yet been released.

Construction of the ship began in January.

The Miguel Keith will be the Navy’s third expeditionary sea base, which is a ship that is designed to support forward forces and offer more flexibility for sea-to-shore missions.

Named for a Marine and Medal of Honor recipient, the Miguel Keith will include a 52,000 square-foot flight deck and accommodations for up to 250 personnel.


Business


rob.nikolewski@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1251 Twitter: @robnikolewski