GT USA Partners with Goodwill’s Staffing Service to Supplement Seasonal Jobs at the Port of Wilmington
WILMINGTON, DE (October 22, 2020) – GT USA Wilmington, a US-based marine terminal owner/operator at the Port of Wilmington, entered into an agreement with Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County to provide temporary staffing services for placing up to 100 laborers, warehouse logistics and clerical workers at the Port of Wilmington, beginning November 1, 2020. This staff will support the union membership in moving cargo through the port during peak periods.
Under the agreement, Goodwill Staffing Services, a program of Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County, is partnering with GT USA Wilmington to provide the local community workforce exposure to the port and the potential to join the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) union ranks should they reach sufficient qualifying hours.
Eric Casey, Chief Executive Officer, GT USA Wilmington said “GT USA Wilmington is linking with Goodwill to ensure we avoid any labor shortages going into a busy fruit season. It is our hope that this partnership will provide the right people for these temporary jobs, which we believe will be a roadmap towards union membership, strengthening the ILA and its growth. It will hopefully provide a pool of workers downstream to be pulled upstream into the ranks of the union.
GT USA Wilmington has already begun permitting processes to commence construction in Edgemoor - a brand new, leading-edge, semi-automated container terminal with a capacity of 1.2
million TEUs. This project is expected to make a major improvement in the local economy of Delaware by increasing the amount of cargo flowing through the region. This develops a need to start developing talent with our union partners and third-party groups, to create a pipeline of skilled workers table to fill the union roles this development will demand.”
Since taking over operations at the Port, GT USA Wilmington has invested in civil, equipment, and IT systems, reconfigured and optimized the existing facilities to allow for new growth. GTUSAW is in the process of almost doubling container storage facilities to 600,000 TEUs as well as increasing refrigerated cargo warehouse space to over 1 million sq. ft.
“Our team is excited to partner with GT USA Wilmington to meet their current and projected temporary employment needs, while directly advancing the employment of Delawareans,” shared Colleen Morrone, President and CEO of Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County. “Since 1921 our Goodwill has served the Delaware community through job training and placement programs, securing employment and a path to self-sufficiency for thousands of our neighbors. As we embark upon the first of our next 100 years, we’re well-positioned to provide GT USA Wilmington and the ILA with a skilled and digitally literate temporary workforce, and also support their long-term job training needs as their operations expand in the Port of Wilmington and in Edgemoor, Delaware.”
ABOUT GOODWILL DELAWARE & DELAWARE COUNTY
For nearly 100 years, the mission of Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County has been to improve the quality of life for individuals with barriers to self-sufficiency through the Power of Work! This mission is supported by proceeds from donations to our retail and e-commerce operations, our Industrial Services and Staffing Services. As a leading regional workforce development provider, Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County supports the needs of employers, and the career growth of job seekers with comprehensive digital literacy training through the Goodwill Digital Career Accelerator®. For information on our programs, services, stores and donation locations visit www.GoodwillDE.org.
ABOUT GT USA
GT USA is the U.S. division of Gulftainer, a privately-owned independent port operator and logistics company with operations and business interests in the Middle East, South Asia and the United States. GT’s presence in North America expanded in 2018 with the signing of a 50-year concession agreement with the state of Delaware to manage and operate the Port of Wilmington, a deep-water port and marine terminal serving the Eastern Seaboard. The company’s first venture into the USA came in 2014 with the signing of a 35-year agreement to operate Canaveral Cargo Terminal, a multi-purpose cargo and container terminal in Florida. For more information, visit www.gulftainer.com/US.