Three applicants for each job at Delaware County refinery

Delta Airline’s oil-refining subsidiary, Monroe Energy expects to have 400 job openings, and not all of them have been posted yet.

Already though, 1,200 applicants have applied for work at its Trainer, Pa. refinery. The plant was shuttered last year by ConocoPhillips and recently purchased by the Delta subsidiary to produce jet fuel. Delaware County Councilwoman Colleen Morrone is the liason to county workforce development, which is acting as Monroe’s recruiter. United Steelworkers Union members will have a leg up in applying for their old jobs, about 250 of the openings.”The goal is that as many of those workers will be reemployed by Monroe energy as are willing wanting able and employable by Monroe,” said Morrone.

“We are meeting regularly – the staff at the county – with Monroe and with individuals that are looking for employment and we’re trying to connect them as quickly as possible with the opportunities that are out there.”Morrone says that despite high-profile layoffs from the plant under ConocoPhillips and the closure of the neighboring Sunoco refiner in Marcus Hook, unemployment in Delaware County is down over this time last year, and below the national average.

Delta spokesman, Eric Torbenson declined to comment because the sale has not been finalized. Morrone says she was encouraged to see Delta confident enough to hire while the transaction is still underway.