Lockheed plans to lay off 135 workers

Posted on: Jul. 6th, 2006 || Source: dfw.com | E-mail Article | Print Article

About 135 Lockheed Martin employees have been given two months' notice that they might lose their jobs, and the company indicated that additional layoffs are likely later this year.

Lockheed issued layoff warning notices to 115 hourly and 20 salaried workers at the company's Fort Worth aircraft assembly plant late last week, informing them that they are likely to be laid off as of Aug. 28.

Most of the affected employees now work on the F-16 fighter jet program. After gearing up production early in the decade to fill export orders, including hiring and training workers, Lockheed has gradually slowed F-16 production and cut jobs over the last two years as new orders have dwindled to a trickle.

Joe Stout, a Lockheed spokesman, said Wednesday that further reductions in the F-16 work force are likely "as we transition to a lower steady state of production."

Lockheed cut about 800 workers from the F-16 program in 2004, an additional 1,000 in 2005, and trimmed 300 more in January. Stout said he did not have a current figure for F-16 production employment but based on the previous layoff announcements, the number should be less than 4,000.

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