CB&I: 400 employees transferred, but layoffs may follow

CB&I's Island Park facility in Beaumont on Monday. The company has given WARN notices to 455 employees due to flooding at the facility from Tropical Storm Harvey. Photo taken Monday 9/25/17 Ryan Pelham/The Enterprise less CB&I's Island Park facility in Beaumont on Monday. The company has given WARN notices to 455 employees due to flooding at the facility from Tropical Storm Harvey. Photo taken Monday 9/25/17 Ryan Pelham/The ... more Photo: Ryan Pelham Photo: Ryan Pelham Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close CB&I: 400 employees transferred, but layoffs may follow 1 / 12 Back to Gallery

Following extensive damage to its Beaumont location from Tropical Storm Harvey, CB&I has transferred more than 400 employees to other locations on the Gulf Coast but could still have to lay off about 45 people, the company said.

Earlier this month, the Woodlands-based company issued 455 notices warning employees of possible layoffs.

Explaining the notices, Gentry Brann, senior vice president of global communications and brand management, said the Beaumont Island Fabrication facility on Pine Street "experienced extensive flooding during Harvey" and the company has not yet decided what to do about the facility.

So far, about 90 percent of affected workers have been relocated to different CB&I locations and projects. The company has a similar facility in Lake Charles, as well as multiple projects along the Gulf Coast, including Freeport. Some employees remained in Beaumont to help assess the damage before the company decides what to do next, Brann said.

The uncertainty prompted CB&I to issue the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications, also known as WARN notices.

WARN notices are supposed to provide protections to workers and their families by requiring employers to provide 60-day advance notification of plant closings or mass layoffs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

However, Harvey's unexpected arrival enabled the company to secure an exception to that timeline, Brann said.

CB&I distributed its notices on Sept. 11, informing employees their last day would be Sept. 21. Of the employees who didn't transfer to other CB&I facilities, it is not known how many are still at Pine Street and how many might have been laid off.

The Texas Workforce Commission released a report Monday identifying CB&I as one of three Texas companies to issue WARN notices this month.

The Chicago Bridge and Iron Company, also known as CB&I, is an engineering and construction company that focuses on the energy industry, especially oil and gas companies, according to the company's website.

MGstalter@BeaumontEnterprise.comTwitter.com/morgGstalt