Workers At Closing Billerica Plant Get Offers

More than 300 workers at the Billerica circuit-board plant Jabil Circuit are losing their jobs by late summer — most of them by July 1. When the company announced the closure in February, it took out a half-page ad in the Boston Globe praising the workers about to lose their jobs, and asking other companies to hire them. The unusual strategy appears to be paying off for some of the workers.

When Jabil Circuit decided to close earlier this year, it sought help from the state’s rapid response team. Ken Messina leads the team. It’s his job to help workers about to lose their jobs find new ones. If a company asks, Messina goes in to set up an emergency assistance center right in the plant. Messina said he’d like to see more companies avail themselves of this opportunity.

“We haven’t seen one of these in a long time,” Messina said. “They’ve opened the doors to us.”