Sunoco furloughs leave workers with the blues

Len Norvilla has felt the sting of unemployment three times - and each time his wife was pregnant.

Norvilla depleted his savings to pay medical bills, "gardened to eat" and did odd jobs until he was hired somewhere.

It usually took only a few months, he said, because he wasn't choosy. He found paychecks as a laborer and tester in industrial plants - chemicals, paint, gasoline, it didn't matter much.

"I'd take anything to feed my family," he said.

The 51-year-old is a father of four now - he had a job when that last one was born, in 1985 - and out of work again. He got a pink slip by certified mail on Tuesday from Sunoco, saying his last day will be Dec. 13.

Norvilla is among 450 employees to be furloughed from Sunoco's sprawling Eagle Point refinery in West Deptford, which is being idled.

While Norvilla found jobs after short gaps in past years, he said, he is not as hopeful this time around. New Jersey's unemployment rate remains at a 32-year high - 9.8 percent - matching the national rate, according to figures released today.

He said his coworkers seem to share his pessimism.

"The mood at the plant is somber," said Norvilla.

People seem reluctant to discuss what is going on for fear someone might begin sobbing or snap in anger.

"I'm afraid to say something to someone because I'm afraid they'll pop a cork," he said. "Everyone has personal problems and now they might be out of work for awhile."

At previous jobs, in South Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, Norvilla said there had been warning signs.

Deregulation, environmental problems, and competition from China signaled imminent layoffs. At Sunoco, where he has worked in a laboratory testing oil samples for nearly four years, he felt more secure. The company invested nearly $3 million in upgrades at the plant after purchasing it five years ago.

At a mandatory meeting last week, Norvilla and other workers were stunned to learn the plant would be shuttered until market conditions drastically improve or until alternative fuel production is seen as feasible. The reality of the economic downturn suddenly hit home, said Norvilla.

"As soon as I heard the word idle, things kind of slowed down and I just left the meeting," Norvilla said.

Norvilla says he hastily returned to his post in the lab to cherish what may be his last days at a plant that has been a staple in the region since 1948.

The 1,100-acre plant, which stretches along the Delaware River across from South Philadelphia, first opened under Texaco. Norvilla said his job at Sunoco was "a good thing" and "good things don't last forever." The company paid decent wages, offered generous benefits, and took safety precautions, he said.

Last week, several Eagle Point workers in bright blue uniforms declined to speak to a reporter during their lunch break. A few, who would not give their names, would say only that they were shocked at the news and didn't know what they would do next.

Norvilla hopes Eagle Point will resume operations, but at times is nagged by worries that he may be deceiving himself.

"Things go up and things go down, and I have to do whatever I have to do to stay balanced," said the blues-music enthusiast. He promotes concerts for blues artists in the area, plays bass guitar, and lets the rifts soothe his burdens.

"When rumors were flying at the plant, I just turned up my blues on the radio a little louder to drown out the negativity," said Norvilla.

Sunoco spokesman Tom Golembeski said the plant could reopen if market conditions dramatically improve, or if an alternate fuel processing operation is feasible. He said other operations at Sunoco plants in Philadelphia and Delaware would continue.

Employees in those plants are union; Eagle Point is a nonunion shop.

Golembeski said that workers could opt for a furlough that would continue their benefits and put them at the top of the list for a recall if the plant reopens. During the wait, employees may be eligible to collect unemployment.

A severance package that pays two weeks' wages per year of service is also being offered, he said. Minimum pay would be 12 weeks' wages, and the maximum would be one year.

Norvilla said he would take the furlough and hoped he would be able to support himself and Anne, his wife of 31 years, who is unemployed. Their four children are now grown, but he still owes a mortgage on his modest home, which sits in the shadow of the Valero refinery and tank farm in blue-collar Paulsboro.

One day after Sunoco's announcement, Valero said it would eliminate 100 jobs, or 18 percent of its workforce at that plant, through buyout packages. Echoing Sunoco, Valero said overcapacity and an increase in efficient automobiles had led to declining revenues and the need to downsize.

Around the same time, Gloucester County officials said about 650 U.S. postal employees at the Philadelphia Logistics and Distribution Center in nearby Logan Township would be displaced when that facility closes in March.

At Sunoco, the New Jersey Department of Labor is preparing to send a "rapid response team" to counsel workers on programs to help them cope and find new work. Unemployment benefits have been extended to 79 weeks; up to $4,000 per worker is available for job training, and health benefits are provided to low-income families, said spokesman Kevin Smith.

"When someone gets laid off, it's like a sudden shock, and it's often helpful to get people thinking right away what they can do," Smith said. The department offers free programs on "how to write your resume, how to look for work, how to use the newspapers, and how to use the Internet," he said.

There also will be individual counseling sessions to help employees decide "whether a career change would be a good choice" and what programs they may qualify for, Smith said.

Norvilla says unemployment checks helped him weather a six-month layoff before, but just barely.

"I grew 23 different types of vegetables and then froze some for the winter," he said, recalling how he and his family survived the lean times.

He also took advantage of job training, "to keep myself positive."

Last week, he met with the company's employee assistance counselor.

"I wish more people would realize how much benefit you can get from talking," he said, explaining that it helped him put his life in focus.

Anne Norvilla said she has confidence everything will work out. "I just stand by him. I know it's not the end," she said. "It's scary, but I believe in him."

Len Norvilla admitted to being a bit shaken.

"I'm scared, but I'm going to find something," if the plant doesn't resume business, he said. "I'll sweep the floor, wash windows, count birds, or do whatever I have to do."