When American Electric Power Company recently elected to change maintenance contractors to perform service work at the Cook Nuclear Plant near Bridgman, they triggered a WARN notice to the state of Michigan from the contractor who is losing the contract after nearly five years on the job.
New Orleans-based Aptim Services, LLC has warned the state that they will be laying off their entire contingent of 108 employees at the Cook Plant by the end of next month after losing the contract to a competitor.
Michigan requires such mass layoffs to be forewarned through the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act — or simply the WARN Act — through a cautionary filing with the Michigan Workforce Development Agency.
Michigan was sent the written warning last week by Aptim’s Executive Director, Jeep Mestayer, and Human Resources Manager Casey Walker.
Mestayer says that Aptim’s first indication was an informal verbal notice back on December 12th, and suggests, “Unfortunately, AEP’s decision adversely affects employment with Aptim for all current employees working at the Cook Nuclear Plant location. We are providing as much notice as practicable under the circumstances. AEP’s decision to terminate this long-standing work and to cease services on short notice is outside of Aptim’s control, was unexpected, and was not reasonably foreseeable.”
Mestayer goes on to note, “Aptim employees at this facility will be furloughed temporarily from this site as part of a regular ‘contractor free’ period that was planned before AEP’s decision to select a different contractor.”
AEP plans for the contract to end on January 31st, 2020. The $70-million contact was first signed in 2015. Aptim has pledged to work with AEP and the new contractor “to ensure a smooth transition,” and they are hopeful that the new firm will hire as many of the men and women who have been doing the work as possible.
Aptim’s letter was sent to the state on December 18th under the WARN Act provisions.
