PHOENIX - Phelps Dodge needs hundreds of new employees for work in its southeastern Arizona copper mines and mills, and it is sweetening the pot to get them to come on board.

The copper mining giant, now part of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., needs to hire 600 workers for its mines in Safford and Morenci but has exhausted the labor pool in Greenlee and Graham counties, spokesman Ken Vaughn said. The shortage of workers is made worse by a housing shortage in the area.

Now the company is trying to recruit workers who live in Tucson, Phoenix and even west Texas and is sweetening the pot with flexible schedules, hiring bonuses and free room and board for seven-day on, seven-day off shifts. "We'll train them," Vaughn said, both men and women. "We have women truck drivers, mechanics and electricians. We no longer think of mining as a man's work."

Phelps Dodge needs 400 miners for a new mine in Safford set to open next year and 200 for a new copper processing plant it is building in Morenci. The company is facing tough competition for miners because its existing facilities are expanding and it is competing with other companies, such as Tucson-based Asarco LLC, for workers.

Strong copper prices are feeding the booming mining industry in the state.

To encourage workers in Phoenix to make the 164-mile commute to Safford or the 207-mile trek to Morenci, the company is offering $4,000 signing bonuses for some positions. The company plans to build temporary housing in Morenci where the miners would live during their seven-day shifts.

Vaughn said the housing area would include a cafeteria, fitness center and Internet cafe. The company also owns 1,000 homes in Morenci that workers rent. Workers would pay no rent to live at the residential campus and their meals would be included, Vaughn said. "It's part of the work agreement," of the predominantly non-union company, he said.

Miners commuting from Phoenix and Tucson would receive a $100 per diem if they find their own housing or $65 if they live at the resident campus. "We're trying to make it attractive for workers to commute from Phoenix and Tucson," Vaughn said noting Phelps Dodge is setting up recruiting offices in Tempe, Tucson and El Paso, Texas.