Over 500 Get Layoff Notices As Shuttle Program Winds Down
Boeing on Friday issued 60-day advance layoff notices to
approximately 510 employees in its Space Exploration division,
resulting primarily from the planned completion of the Space
Shuttle program. The notices include an estimated 260 employees in
Houston, 150 at Kennedy Space Center, FL, and 100 at the
company’s Huntington Beach, CA, facility. The last workday
for affected employees will be Aug. 5, pending the completion of
the final space shuttle mission, STS-135.
Shuttle Atlantis
Boeing is committed to retaining as many skilled workers as
possible and has taken steps to lessen the impact to its workforce.
These steps include redeploying personnel to programs such as
International Space Station and Commercial Crew Development, and
evaluating contract labor requirements. The company is providing
affected employees with layoff benefits and career transition
services.
“We hope that the next generation exploration launch
system will serve to mitigate some of these losses, but time is
running out,” said Brewster Shaw, Boeing Space Exploration
vice president and general manager. “Our priority will be to
ensure the last space shuttle mission is safe and successfully
executed, allowing the Space Shuttle program to cross the finish
line as a winner. We are supporting our employees in their efforts
to move to other positions, and we are grateful to them for their
dedicated service.”
In addition, Boeing previously announced Checkout, Assembly and
Payload Processing Services reductions that would take place this
year. The program issued approximately 35 notices on May 20 and
additional reductions in force will occur throughout the
summer.
Boeing has played a significant role in the U.S. space program
for more than 50 years, participating in every major human
spaceflight program since Project Mercury. The company has a record
of safety and mission success and is committed to maintaining this
capability as the United States shifts its space exploration
activities to a new heavy-lift rocket for deep space exploration
and commercial crew transportation services for Low Earth Orbit.
“We remain committed to NASA’s human spaceflight
program and will continue to pursue future opportunities,”
said Shaw.
Boeing is a major subcontractor to United Space Alliance (USA),
NASA's prime contractor for space shuttle operations. Under this
contract, Boeing provides NASA and USA with sustaining engineering,
engineering support to operations -- including launch -- and
overall shuttle systems and payload integration services. Boeing
also is the designer and manufacturer of the space shuttle
orbiters.