Pittsburgh TV Stn Takes Aim at MarkWest over Out-of-State Workers
Layoffs in the natural gas industry have cut wide and deep. We spotted one article recently that said layoffs worldwide have hit 200,000 (see Forbes: As Oil Layoffs Hit 200,000, A Headhunter Looks At The Bright Side). The Marcellus/Utica region is not immune. We've had thousands of layoffs too (see CONSOL Slashes 10% of Workforce – 470 Jobs Gone). When the industry was on the upswing and you couldn't find enough people to fill all of the jobs, the issue of "outsiders" from places like Texas, Oklahoma, Wyoming and other states coming to work in PA, OH, and WV wasn't too big a deal. But with jobs disappearing--those jobs that remain are being scrutinized much more closely. And if the jobs that remain are being filled by out-of-staters, that's not sitting well with a now-skilled and local workforce. Pittsburgh's WTAE Channel 4 ran a segment on their local news a few days ago that shines a light on this issue. In particular they take a swipe at MarkWest Energy and the huge processing plant they're building near Evans City (Butler County), PA where it seems like most of the people building the plant hail from out-of-state...
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