Ship Recycler vows to favor hiring people from Vallejo:

At a time when new job creation is prized so dearly in Vallejo, the reopening of Mare Island's dry docks has garnered more than casual interest.

Allied Defense Recycling plans to dismantle Suisun Bay Reserve "Mothball" Fleet vessels, and eventually repair, convert and overhaul ships. The company has been bombarded in recent months by calls and visitors seeking a paying gig.

As company officials and local dignitaries gather today for Allied's opening celebration, questions remain:

• Who will receive first hiring preference?
• Will the company train new workers?
• How many will be hired?

Allied officials say they are still building up the company, and with only 15 employees so far, intend to give preferential treatment to Vallejo and area residents. So far, better than half of existing employees are Vallejo residents, Jay Anast, Allied Defense Recycling's head of business operations, said Thursday.

In November 2009, the company received Vallejo Planning Commission's green light to proceed with reopening part of the former naval shipyard, closed since 1996. While falling short of guaranteeing the hiring of local workers, the panel's dry dock plan approval came only after it was strongly suggested that such hiring would occur.

"The applicant shall establish an apprentice and intern program targeting Vallejo residents within the first year of operation and work in good faith to hire Vallejo residents," reads the condition, as amended by the commission at the time.

Planning Commission Chairman Kent Peterman said the company was not required to look first to Vallejoans. That was because company officials feared they might not find a sufficiently skilled workforce in the area, he said.

"I really felt that they were committed to hiring locally," Peterman said Thursday. "It wasn't like (the commission) said 'Hey, whatever.' It was definitely something we thought about and talked about."

One man saw the delicate balance of eagerness and anxiety tip to a heated exchange at the company's property in recent days. The man, an iron worker, asked that his name not be published, fearing reprisal in his current or future employment.

The man said he was at Allied's Nimitz Street office when news was shared with job-seekers that Allied Defense Recycling had hired a contractor last week to take over the ship cleanup and dismantling. The contractor, MARCOR, tasked with hazardous material cleanup, will partner with Washington-base Nuprecon, for unionized demolition work, said company Regional Manager Blaine Frost.

Frost said that "four or five of my guys working for me are already from Vallejo." Although the company, which employs non-union workers, already has "a lot of guys working for us," it will look to local job postings provided by Allied when more are needed, Frost said.

"As positions come open, it's definitely going to be in good faith (to hire locally)," Frost said. "We have to make sure we've got the right people. ... It's not as easy as just picking up laborers off the street."

Anast said Allied Defense Recycling has turned over those applications to the contractor, who is contracted for only one ship's work so far.

"(MARCOR's) subcontractor agreement calls for the mandate of hiring Vallejo first," Anast said. "As proof of that, they have a crew starting Monday and over 50 percent of their crew is Vallejo. That's not bad, considering they're bringing in their own talent to train people."

That will bring shipyard personnel up to about 30, Anast said. He projects the company eventually could hire 100 or more employees, at full capacity.

Allied's open house and opening celebration at Mare Island's Building 680 runs from 9 to 11:30 a.m. today, followed by public tours of the shipyard.

For more information on Allied, visit http://www.californiadrydock.com/ or call (707) 648-DOCK.

Contact staff writer Jessica A. York at jyork@timesheraldonline.com.

Source: By Jessica A. York Times-Herald 18 February 2011

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