Semitool cuts 13 Libby employees

Semitool permanently cut 13 employees from its Libby plant on Thursday.

Dean Campbell, Libby plant manager, said the staff reduction stems from a downturn of the worldwide semiconductor market.

“Nothing was completely phased out,” Campbell said. “We still have 19 people working.”

Campbell said the remaining 18 hourly employees would see a reduced workweek to 30 hours beginning this past Monday.

Campbell, the only salaried Libby employee, will receive a to-be-determined pay cut.

“We believe we have staffed the company appropriately at the business level we know now,” he said.

The machining center will remain operational, but at a limited capacity. Manufacturing will continue.

Libby operations resumed on Jan. 5 after an unpaid four-week holiday hiatus for all hourly employees.

Bill Cunnane, a machinist laid off Thursday, harbors no bad feelings for the company’s decision.

“Semitool is a great organization to be with and they try to take care of their people,” Cunnane said. “It is just a shame that with the world situation that they are in the position they are in now.”

However, his main concern is finding new employment to remain in the community he relocated to five years ago.

“I saw it coming and went proactive when the holiday layoffs were announced,” Cunnane said. “I have put in for positions within the county. I would definitely like to contribute to the community if given the opportunity.”

As of late last week, Cunnane said he had not heard back from any of his applications but said there are not enough jobs in the area to support those that are losing their employment.

“There has to be more business brought in but it is a tough economy to do that in,” Cunnane said. “Right now is a matter of having to re-train.”

Campbell said workers qualify for re-training under the federal Trade Adjustment Assistance program.

He said that the 13 people released were all given informational packets from the local unemployment office.

“The Semitool workers are fortunate that the TAA petition was approved for them,” said Johnette Watkins, manager of the Kootenai Job Service Workforce Center.

Watkins said the center hosted a rapid response workshop Tuesday evening for the ex-Semitool employees. The informational workshop explored unemployment benefits, retraining options and the current job market in the Kootenai.

Lincoln County unemployment currently exceeds 10 percent, second only to Sanders County and more than double the Montana average.

“We have taken steps to assist those workers in finding employment as soon as possible,” Watkins said. “The competition for jobs is pretty steep right now and Libby has taken a rapid market decline.”

Meanwhile, Cunnane will try to remain positive.

“I hope for the best and that my unemployment holds out until I can find something new,” Cunnane said. 

Semitool is a chemical processing equipment manufacturer and has contracts with companies like Motorola and Intel. The company’s international headquarters are located in Kalispell.

The Libby plant is responsible for building sub-assemblies such as robots and door openers for larger machines manufactured in Kalispell.