NASA's prime shuttle fleet operator will lay off 400 people -- including about 240 at Kennedy Space Center -- this October as the nation's space agency moves toward the retirement of its winged orbiters.Not entirely unexpected, the reduction in force at United Space Alliance will come as NASA begins to launch the final missions required to complete assembly of the International Space Station.
Then-President Bush in January 2004 set NASA on course to finishing building the $100 billion outpost and retire its shuttle fleet by the end of September 2010. President Obama eased the deadline to the end of 2010 earlier this year.
USA spokesman Jeff Carr said the company's 9,300 employees -- about 5,600 of whom work at KSC -- were notified Tuesday in an e-mail from the company's chief executive officer, former NASA astronaut Dick Covey.
Carr also said the company expects that many of those who are laid off will voluntarily separate from the company.
"We feel pretty like we have a good chance to do a big chunk of this with self-nomination," Carr said.
Likely volunteers might be employees who are eligible for retirement and want to leave with a severance package, and in some cases, retention bonuses.
Laid off workers will receive up to one week of pay for each year of service, up to 26 years, to United Space Alliance or one of its legacy companies -- joint partners Lockheed Martin and The Boeing Co.
Some critically skilled workers also were offered retention bonuses last year -- an incentive to stay on even though the shuttle program is winding down.
The 400 layoffs represents just under five percent of the company's payroll.
NASA aims to fly eight more shuttle missions before the retirement of the fleet. Six of those are expected to be flown in fiscal year 2010.
Carr said no further layoffs are anticipated as long as the 2010 flight rate remains at six missions.
16 comments:
Brevard is going to have more problems...Every one KSC employee, employee's two non-KSCs workers in Brevard. Ask Brevardjoblink if you don't believe. In 2010, 13,000+ will be unemployed. Good time to move...
i feel for those hard working men and women i shurely hope that they will be benifits and assistance they need.
they can thank Doc weldon and Posey for this layoff
Come on Obama, do something worth it and help out NASA, your other plans seemed to have failed.
God Bless the good men and women who keep our space program "The Best" program in the world. It's sad to see that the importance of space exploration is not the number one most important thing to congress. Without it, we have really nothing to brag about except for our freedom. Don't forget how much space exploration gives us in return. Keep our space workers working !No lay-offs !
USA will weed out the dead wood now in preparation for Oct. Believe me there is a significant amount of dead wood out there just like any other government contractor. Hope they've been banking some cash...... Good luck.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!
It is sad :(
You might weed out dead wood on the salary side, but if any of these people are union - it is strictly by senority. Last one hired, first one out no matter what your job performance.
It is a real pleasure to be part of something very special. It will be missed by many of us. It is worth all the risk to be part of it and may God Bless the astronauts who risk it all.
Wow, thats messed up dude. A lot of people gonna be affected by this!
RT
www.online-privacy.cz.tc
Let them go. Maybe it is time for them to see what it is like for the rest of us who have never experienced the job security of working with NASA.....the ability to show up for work with a hangover every day and not be fired for it!
The county went through the same thing in the early/mid 70's when the Apollo program ended. Get ready for a real estate fire sale and a long term depression in the area until the big step backwards (Orion) comes online.
4 hours sitting, 4 hours working? You're living in a dream world. Try non-stop from AM to PM. We are proud of what we do and we like to kid about it. The men and women at KSC have given their lifes, wifes, and heart and sole for the success of the missions we put in space. We suffered our greatest loss when we failed and enjoyed our hearfilled joy at our success. Please don't ever belittle that. I have been at KSC for 30+ years--I gave my youth and my entire life to serve our nations manned space program. Believe me, 4 hours on and 4 hours off is a joke.
Thanks
Everyone that works for USA Alliance and anyone else who cares about our space program should write to Obama after his State of the Union speech last night. He said he wanted the USA to be first in everything and if employees are being laid off and programs and launches cut at NASA we will not be able to be number one. He said he did not want China, or any other country to be first but for the USA to be the number one country in everything. A lot of monies are being given out by the government to keep companies afloat. So get busy folks, write to him and plead with him about your jobs and our space program being number one and staying number one! He said jobs was his number one priority right now so let him know what is going to happen to your jobs. It's just not right to layoff these people at USA Alliance who have worked so hard on our valuable mission to our country. USA Alliance should get busy and do something about these layoffs coming up in April. I understand 8,000 employees will be laid off. Just not right!!
I am so ashamed of some of you heartless, disrespectful, NON-American Jerks. Getting on here and talking a bunch of ignorant nonsense about how these people should lose their jobs. I don't care who you are or what you do for a living, if your getting your butt up everyday and going to some type of business or work place, then GOOD FOR YOU! It's disgusting how some fools who were born and raised here in the US have such lowsy views and goals for themselves. What happened to United We Stand? What happened to good ole' helping a neighbor in need? Or Standing by your brother's and sister's? These people who complain about not having job security, um well WHO DOES? Obviously NASA's employees don't have it either. NASA & it's employees has had and will always have the best reputation and the utmost respect from people all around. Strictly because they have given way more than just 4 hrs on & 4 hrs off. They have dedicated their life and their families lives to what they do, I personally believe that having a family member working for NASA or KSC could be right below having a family member in the Military. Now I know that in the Military people go through alot more events and tragedies, but when you compare the time dedicated to their jobs and the way that the job becomes their life, its not much different! So for all of you heartless, disrespectful, creeps who are bold enough to sit here and lash out at innocent people, You NEED TO FIND SOMETHING TO TAKE UP SOME MORE OF YOUR TIME. You have way too much time on your hands for you to want to discourage innocent people & their families. You say those things & don't even take into consideration that its not just the Woman or Man being laid off, its Mother's & Father's who have kids & families that depend on them to support them. U.S. should not & will not be a poor country, so you shouldn't wish that upon us as americans! We are apart of a country that has so much, so much alot of people take for granted, other countries are jealous & envious of what we have & how we do things. You should be proud of that & especially RESPECTFUL of that! I pray that all of you hard working NASA, KSC employees & people with other Companies don't lose your jobs. I was unemployeed for a year & a half, I was with a home building company and with the economy plumitting home building companies took a beating & so did their employees, I was one of 15 people let go in a company of 35 people. I got up and started my day early & searched for a job 4 days a week & spent 2 days cleaning house, buying groceries & cooking for my husband, & 1 day to rest. So I know what its like to have the rug snatched out from under you. It was hard, but thanks to God & coupons, we made it! I hope all of you do as well.
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