March 19, 2009 Training for the future Residents prepare for clean rooms of GlobalFoundries
By DREW KERR
dkerr@poststar.com
Updated: Thursday, March 19, 2009 10:11 AM EDT
WATERVLIET - On a recent Saturday morning, six area tradesmen found themselves sequestered in a white-walled room inside the Watervliet Arsenal.
The glass window separating them from the outside world served as a simple but significant divider.
The union workers were inside what is known as a clean room, a space designed to keep contaminants -- dust or hair, for example -- to an absolute minimum.
Inside, everything is cleansed with alcohol; air is constantly circulated; and workers don head-to-toe garments, affectionately known as "bunny suits."
It's an environment many local plumbers and pipefitters have never encountered before.
But it is one they are learning more about as they prepare to cash in on construction of the proposed GlobalFoundries computer chip factory in Saratoga County.
The company has said it plans to begin construction at the Luther Forest Technology Campus this summer. Their plans call for an 883,000-square-foot plant where computer chips will be made, a facility that requires ultimate cleanliness.
Company officials have said they could use up to 1,900 construction workers to complete the project over the next two years.
Many of them will have to be versed in the meticulous art of clean room construction.
Joe Gallipoli, a journeyman from South Glens Falls, has spent the last several weekends inside a classroom readying himself for the job.
On Saturday, in a culmination of his studies, he was spending the day at the Watervliet Arsenal perfecting his orbital welding skills.
The welding technique involves programming a computer to make precise pipe joints with a smooth finish so contaminants can't build up and tarnish the computer chips.
"Every year, someone comes up with a new product, so you never stop learning," Gallipoli said, after emerging from a training room designed to replicate the working conditions at a computer chip plant.
Since September, more than 300 local union members have received a basic introduction to clean room construction.
Of those, a handful have gone on to get specialized, hands-on training and become certified to help piece together a clean room.
The program, made possible by a $100,000 state grant, is the only one of its kind locally.
Those who helped get the effort off the ground say the training, which will continue through May, is vital to ensuring GlobalFoundries can tap into the local workforce.
Lawmakers have used the prospect of job creation to justify the $1.2 billion state incentive package promised to attract the company.
"We recognized pretty early on that this was a key area that we needed to support, so we started this grassroots training effort," said Elizabeth Herkenham, the executive director of the Workforce Consortium for Emerging Technologies.
The trade also has applications in the pharmaceutical and medical device fields, so those who receive the training can use their skills outside of the GlobalFoundries project, said Penny Hill, a regional director with the Workforce Development Institute.
"For most of them, this is entirely brand new," she said. "But when they finish, they will be highly sought after."
Larry Bulman, business manager for the South Glens Falls-based Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 773, said experienced laborers can expect to earn as much as $42 an hour for their work. And with the recession, bolstering such job prospects is critical, he said.
"People are going to be really light on work for the next few years, so this is an important boost," Bulman said.
David Lewis, a plumber from Saratoga Springs, is hopeful the training will help him avoid a lull in work.
"It's a light at the end of the tunnel for us," he said during a momentary break from training. "If this wasn't coming up, I don't know what the future would hold."
