Nearly 800 workers at Textron Aviation in Wichita will lose their jobs
Around 800 workers at Textron Aviation, most of whom are in Wichita, will lose their jobs, the company told employees Tuesday.
Textron Aviation will also continue to periodically furlough some workers throughout the rest of the year.
The new layoffs are in addition to the 70 workers laid off in Wichita that the company announced last month. Those Wichita workers were only a portion of the 250 employees Textron Aviation laid off across the country.
The changes are made “as Textron Aviation continues to adjust to the evolving global economic uncertainty and existing market conditions,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.
The 70 previously laid-off workers in Wichita were not included in a union. The Tuesday announcement includes bargained, or union, employees, the company confirmed.
A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing last month indicated that the aviation segment’s parent company, Textron Inc., would continue to reduce its workforce globally and close at least one facility, in Canada, to adapt to the downturn in business brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also last month, Textron Aviation made a request to the union, Local Lodge 774 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, to open contract negotiations early. In a vote, union members rejected the request.
The current collective bargaining agreement expires on Sept. 20, and contract negotiations between union representatives and the company will likely begin in early August.
The same day union members voted to reject early contract negotiations, they also voted 96% in favor of a strike sanction vote. While not a vote to strike, which can only happen at the end of contract negotiations, the vote shows that members are willing to strike.
A company can lay off workers even if a contract negotiation is upcoming, a union representative told members in a Facebook Live event last month. At that time in late June, the union said it was not aware of any additional layoffs at Textron Aviation.
“Textron Aviation remains focused on continuing to support our customers with best-in-class aircraft and services during this difficult time,” the company statement read.
