COURTNEY ON STRONG HIRING OUTLOOK FOR ELECTRIC BOAT IN 2018

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-2) issued the following statement regarding the annual Electric Boat (EB) legislative update hosted by company President Jeffrey S. Geiger in Groton. Geiger described EB's plan to hire 1,200 people in Connecticut in 2018 on the heels of the 1,853 hires made in 2017.

"Today's announcement from Electric Boat that strong hiring is planned in 2018 and beyond is a continuation of great economic news for our region and the entire state," said Courtney. "As the ranking member of the House Seapower subcommittee for the last three years during the period when Congress expanded submarine construction authority, I will continue to work closely with the Navy and Electric Boat leadership to build upon this success. As this morning's presentation clearly showed, the increase in submarine construction and repair work in Groton over the last several years has added good paying jobs at Electric Boat and throughout the state-wide network of nearly 500 suppliers and manufacturers that support work on the Virginia and Columbia-class programs. I want to thank President Geiger for his capable leadership, as well as all of the men and women of EB who work hard each day to deliver these critically necessary submarines for the Navy."

Among the notable updates from the briefing today:

• Electric Boat plans to make 1,200 hires in 2018, including 500 in operation, 500 in engineering and design, and 200 in support.

• Electric Boat's outlook is boosted by recent action on the FY 2018 NDAA which reflects an 11% increase in authorized submarine funding on EB related programs. This increase reflects work done by Courtney to expand attack submarine production to meet new Navy fleet requirements.

• The five-year spend on suppliers in the states increased over last year's report, from $485 million to $514 million.

• Continued federal and state investment in workforce development initiatives, like the Eastern Connecticut Manufacturing Pipeline and re-started apprentice programs, are key to Electric Boat's ability to fully ramp up its workforce to meet the strong demand.

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