"It has been a lifestyle for me. Being able to trace your heritage that far back -- it's pretty cool," said Brey, a sixth-generation shipbuilder from Bath whose family ties to the shipyard can be traced as far back as the late 1800s.
Shipyard officials say it is not uncommon for generations of families to have worked at BIW.
Brey and Lavallee say they have no regrets about their decision to follow family tradition by working at BIW, which offers solid wages, benefits and as much job security as one could expect in a rapidly changing corporate world.
Brey joined BIW after graduating from Morse High School and has been with the company for 21 years. She does payroll work in BIW's Finance Department.
Lavallee, a senior supervisor in the Human Resources Department, has been with the company for 26 years.
Brey recently invited several relatives to an informal gathering at her home in North Bath. Her father, her mother and her husband -- all of whom worked for BIW -- were there. Her uncle, who works at the shipyard, was unable to attend. Her sister, Barbara, worked at BIW for more than 20 years before getting laid off. She now works for L.L. Bean.
LONGTIME FAMILY AFFAIR
Brey said her great-great-great-grandfather, Albion Chaney, is believed to be one of the first shipfitters hired by Bath Iron Works' founder, Gen. Thomas Worcester Hyde.
Brey's grandfather, Everett G. White, straightened and bent flooring at BIW for more than 40 years. Both of her great- grandfathers and a great-great-grandfather all worked at BIW in some capacity.
Brey, 43, met her future husband, Robert Brey, at BIW.
He retired as a materials supervisor last year, ending a career that spanned "39 years and four months." He started working there in an apprentice program for $1.96 an hour.
"If you live in Millinocket, everyone would have been funneled into working for the paper mill," said Robert Brey, 63. "It's the same situation here."
Debbie Brey's father, Donald White, a former machinist supervisor, worked at BIW for 40 years and is 71 now.
"To me, it was 40 years of a steady, well-paying job," he said.
Working at BIW also affected family dynamics at dinner time and at gatherings.
"We used to sit down at the dinner table every night and talk shop," said Debbie Brey. "I finally had to draw the line and say no."
Similarly, Bruce Lavallee has deep ties to the company that came through in a sit-down interview to which he brought his cousin Larry Lavallee of Woolwich, his 75-year-old uncle Gerard (Gerry) Lavallee of Brunswick, and his brother Jamie of Lisbon Falls.
After Gerry Lavallee starts naming off all the relatives who have worked at the shipyard over the decades, it becomes obvious that it would be difficult to identify the exact number.
"At least 20, if not more," Bruce Lavallee said. "I just found out my sister Kelley got hired in the purchasing department."
'A GOOD LIVING'
Gerry Lavallee retired in 1994 after spending 31 years in a variety of production and supervisory jobs. "It meant a ... good living," he said. "I raised my whole family working there."
Gerard Lavallee's son, Larry, and his grandson both work at the shipyard.
Larry Lavallee, who worked in production before moving into a management post, said "BIW was a good source of income and the challenges always kept me going."
"It gave my family a decent living, and it was close to home," added Jamie Lavallee, Bruce Lavallee's brother.
Jamie Lavallee works in production as an outside machinist.
Bruce Lavallee also worked in production for a few years before moving into human resources.
"I needed an opportunity and Bath Iron Works gave me that. I've had a good quality...
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