Washington builder lays off 50 percent of workforce

PORT ANGELES, Wash. — Layoffs at Washington boat builder Platypus Marine have risen to 30, or about 50 percent of the work force, according to a report in the Peninsula Daily News. The layoffs began in February.

Sales Manager Charlie Crane told the paper he anticipates bringing the laid-off workers back when spring arrives. He is also hoping that a new division established in August, which repairs small and trailer-size boats, will continue to grow.

Remaining Platypus employees are working on a 120-foot steel boat and a pilot boat of about 70 feet, Crane said.

Since the beginning of the year, layoffs of varying degrees also have occurred at Washington area builders Westport Shipyard Inc. in Port Angeles and Townsend Bay Marine in Port Townsend.

To read the complete report from the Daily News, click here.

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