Cameron cuts another 80 jobs

By Nancy Duplechain
Ville Platte Gazette
VILLE PLATTE — Cameron, a Schlumberger company, had another round of layoffs nearly four weeks ago as about 80 employees were laid off. This was the second round of layoffs at the company.
The first round was earlier this year and also displaced some 80 workers. Others left, fearing they would be laid off.
The Rapid Response team, contracted by the Louisiana Workforce Commission, held a presentation and gave assistance to dislocated workers Wednesday at the Evangeline Chamber of Commerce. Rapid Response was there to focus on the recently-laid-off employees of Cameron.
In response to notices of significant or mass layoffs or plant closures, the Louisiana Workforce Commission is responsible for the coordination of services for those workers affected by the layoff. Information about these services is provided through the State Rapid Response Program in order to assist the affected workers in securing other employment as quickly as possible.
Giving presentations were Deanna Tollver with the American Job Center, Paula DeValcourt, Rapid Response coordinator, Melinda Boutte with veteran services, and Greg Anders with unemployment information.
Adrian Jack, another displaced worker from Cameron, said he survived five layoffs but got hit this time. “At one time Cameron was one of the greatest companies around. A lot of people wanted to go there, wanted to work there. Cameron was a giant in this industry, and now it’s being frowned upon. Everybody knows somebody who worked there. In some instances whole families worked there.
“In February they laid off 80 people or a little bit less, and now 80 more. You’ve got 160 people gone in six months’ time frame. That’s not even counting all the people who left on their own after the fall-out, so we lost more than 160. And the nature of the business is up and down. It’s just not stable.”
When asked how the lay-off affected him, Jack said, “I actually got laid off after these guys. They got laid off on the 10th. I got laid off when everybody thought it was over. It was on the 17th when I got laid off. I was away on military duty, which spilled into hurricane duty. I went back to work on Monday the 15th and worked through Wednesday. I got called into the HR office. My manager is sitting there, crying when I walked in. Now, you understand what he’s been going through. We lost like ten people in the warehouse, so he’s been sitting in that seat and also driving people to their car since two weeks prior to me coming back. After a while it wears on you. He’s crying, HR is there and she gives her spiel on all of this, etc. My manager brings me to my truck and that’s it.
“I’m still looking for work. I’m going on interviews and seeing what’s out there.” When asked if he’s hopeful, Jack said, “Yes. Very, very. I refuse to let it get me down because this is a fact of life, and it’s not like I did not know going into this industry. I did know what was going on. Of course, you know, there’s a wave, there’s always the ups and downs. That’s just the nature of the beast.”
Another laid-off employee, Scott “Red” Deshotel, who worked for Cameron for 31 years, said, “I’ve been staying busy at home, catching up on jobs around the house, because I didn’t realize I didn’t have time to work on them before.” When asked if he’s hopeful if things will turn around, Deshotel said, “I’m looking for employment elsewhere. I have no plans to go back to Schlumberger.”
Jason LeDoux, a 20-year employee of the company, said getting laid off felt “bittersweet.” He added, “I was tired of the aggravation of it, but at the same time it was kind of surprising.” When asked if he wants to go back to Cameron/Schlumberger or find work elsewhere, he said, “Elsewhere.”
Efforts to reach Cameron administration were unsuccessful.