Lockheed Martin, which has an aeronautics site in Marietta, said Thursday it would eliminate 1,500 salaried employees across its second-largest division.
The company has 28,000 aeronautics employees, including 8,000 in Marietta. It did not say how many of the eliminated jobs would come from metro Atlanta, but said its principal sites -- locally and in Texas and California -- would be hit the hardest.
"We're assessing every position, every salary grade, every employee across the aeronautics business," said Erica Crosling, spokeswoman for Lockheed’s Marietta location. "We're looking at redundancies of work, work we can get accomplished in other ways."
About 3,000 of Lockheed's Marietta aeronautics workers belong to a union. Denise Rakestraw, president of Local Lodge 709, said none of the layoffs will come from the mechanics union. Crosling said while all employees will be assessed, she thinks the number of union employees -- those who deal directly with the aircraft that are made at the facility -- is sufficient. Lockheed announced plans to hire 400 additional union employees earlier this year, and those plans remain.
The company plans to conduct an organizational assessment before the layoffs begin, and it should be completed by mid-August, Crosling said. Once completed, employees eligible for voluntary layoffs will be notified that month, and involuntary layoffs will begin in September. Affected employees will receive two weeks' pay, plus a week's pay for every year they've worked for the company, up to 26 weeks.
The move is meant to make the company's military aircraft and related technologies more affordable, and to increase operational facilities, the company said. In a statement, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics executive vice president Ralph D. Heath said the layoffs will make the company more efficient and agile.
"Bold and responsible action is necessary to meet customer expectations and reduce our costs," he said.
The layoffs are not targeted toward one program and the cuts are not customer-driven, Crosling said, but customer needs have motivated Lockheed to lower its overhead costs. The company produces five military aircraft, in whole or in part, at the base. Its customers include the U.S. government and those of other countries.
Crosling said she expected some anxiety as a result of the announcement. Rakestraw said it was too soon to have heard any reaction, but she said the move made sense.
"I understand their need to downsize, based on the economy and defense spending," she said.
Staff writer Janel Davis contributed to this article.
