Creative Apparel layoff now permanent; workers hit hard

The layoff of approximately 30 full-time and part-time sewers at the Creative Apparel plant in Eastport is now permanent and is hitting workers hard.

"Washington County is the poorest county, but no politician is changing that. Everything that's supposed to come here gets blown out of the water," says Petra Immicke of Eastport. "It's sad to see. There are a lot of good, hard-working people here." Immicke had been at Creative Apparel for two years, after she was laid off at the Heritage Salmon processing plant when that closed. She was not so much surprised as irritated about the Creative Apparel layoff announcement, since there had been rumors for months. "It's kind of hard for me because I have no transportation." Noting that it is difficult to make ends meet, she says she may have to move.

Sharon Spencer, who had been working at Creative Apparel for about five years, except during a maternity leave, comments, "There's no jobs around here C that's for sure." She probably will stay in the area, but she doesn't know what she will do for work.

Bobbie Jo Aguilar began working at Creative Apparel when she moved to Eastport from Massachusetts six years ago. "There's no work around here at a pay you can survive at. I made decent money out there." Noting that she can't make a living in this area, she plans to move to southern Maine. "It makes it tough, because you're limited here."

The workers were notified during the past two weeks that the temporary layoff announced in July would be permanent. However, the facility will not be closed, since about five employees are still working at the plant as cutters. Based on the short-term forecast of up to a year on upcoming federal contracts, George Rybarczyk, co-owner of J&P Apparel Inc., which owns Creative Apparel with the Passamaquoddy Tribe, does not see the workers being hired back. The layoffs are caused by a drop in federal government orders for the chemical protective suits from 20,000 to 12,000 a month. Creative Apparel regularly bids on the federal contracts.

Rybarczyk says most of the Eastport plant, instead of another plant, was closed because of the type of work done there. Creative Apparel's other plants are doing "more of the functions on the garment," while the Eastport facility "had to rely more on the other plants" to support it.

A total of about 70 workers of the company's 375 employees have been laid off at the Creative Apparel plants, with the other layoffs being temporary. The other plants are located at Indian Township, Belmont, Harmony, Dover-Foxcroft and Fort Kent.

The employees at the Eastport facility were not offered a severance package, although they were given the opportunity to work at the Indian Township facility. One worker took advantage of that offer. Others have been taking part in a state retraining program.

Creative Apparel opened the Eastport facility in July 1998 and employed over 60 people at times. Another occupant of the Eastport Business Development Center, Little River Apparel, opened in May 1999, employing another 60 people, and closed in April 2002. A third business in the former Guilford mill building, Tex-Shield, is not affected by the layoff at Creative Apparel. The company produces a liner used by Creative Apparel and also other customers, according to Vice President John Atwood. Tex-Shield presently has 11 employees.