Jeffboat Lays Off 226 Employees

Jeffboat LLC announced February 1 that it would lay off a further 226 employees from its Jeffersonville, Ind., facility. The move follows an earlier layoff of 278 employees in November.

The company announced the move in a Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification Act (WARN) letter to the state of Indiana, as required by law. A similar letter preceded the November layoffs. Jeffboat declined to comment further in response to a request by The Waterways Journal.

Welders and fitters were the two most affected job categories, with a total of 105 welders and 49 fitters scheduled to be laid off at regular intervals over a two-month period from February through April. Other job categories affected include painters, riggers, truck drivers and gantry crane operators.

The layoffs come at a time of low barge rates and low demand attributed to overbuilding and overcapacity.

Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore said the city would help displaced workers. “Certainly, if you’re a skilled welder, there are other opportunities for you,” he told WDRB TV. Teamsters Local 89 also said it would strive to find jobs for displaced workers.