Electric Boat To Cut Over 400 Jobs

GROTON, Conn. (AP) -- Submarine manufacturer Electric Boat says it has notified 434 employees they will be laid off due to a downturn in work.

The company said Friday that the hourly production and production-support workers at the Groton shipyard will receive a formal 60-day notice before their jobs are eliminated in April.

Electric Boat, a subsidiary of Virginia-based General Dynamics Corp., warned earlier this month that layoffs were possible due to lost submarine maintenance, overhaul and repair work. The company also cited a drop in cyclical work resulting from the shipyard's delivery of one Virginia-class submarine every other year.

Laid-off employees may seek work in Electric Boat's design organization, which is hiring.

The president of the Metal Trades Council, which represents the workers, could not be immediately reached for comment.