Spirit plans temporary layoff of Wichita production workers

Spirit AeroSystems plans to temporarily lay off up to 70 production workers in Wichita after New Year’s Day.

The duration is unclear, but affected workers will continue to receive benefits during the layoff, which is set to take effect after Jan. 1.

Spirit employs about 11,000 people in Wichita.

The temporary layoffs come after fewer production workers retired or quit than were projected, while improvement in some production activities have led to a need for fewer workers, according to the company.

“Current employment levels are high based on factory efficiencies and lower than expected attrition levels,” Spirit said in a statement e-mailed to The Eagle on Monday.

Monday’s action follows a move by the company last week to offer an early retirement and volunteer layoff programs to some executive, management, and salaried employees in Wichita and Oklahoma, including workers represented by the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, or SPEAA.

Those moves are despite the company recording an 87 percent profit gain between the third quarter of 2015 and the third quarter of 2014, a $46 billion backlog of work and preparation for monthly production increases in the Boeing 737 and the 787 jetliners. Spirit manufactures the 737 fuselage and the composite forward fuselage of the 787, in addition to other parts of those airplanes.

The company also said in Monday’s statement that it plans to hire between 700 and 800 employees next year “to meet the needs of the business.”

This story was originally published December 21, 2015 at 3:14 PM with the headline "Spirit plans temporary layoff of Wichita production workers."