Up to 20 percent of United Space Alliance's 5,100 shuttle program workers at Kennedy Space Center face layoffs on Oct. 1, the company announced Tuesday.
A total of 15 percent of the workforce in Florida, Texas and Alabama will lose their jobs as the space shuttle program comes to an end.
"It is due to reduction in work scope," company spokeswoman Kari Fluegel said.
Two shuttle missions remain: STS-133 currently is scheduled for no earlier than Nov. 1, and STS-134 is set for Feb. 26, 2011.
USA has about 8,100 workers in Florida, Texas and Alabama. The company expects to lay off 800 to 1,000 in Florida, 300 to 400 in Texas and about 10 in Alabama. The percentage of workers laid off in Florida will be slightly higher.
"Our workforce has known for several years that the Space Shuttle Program has been scheduled to end, but layoffs are always difficult for everyone involved," Virginia Barnes, USA president and chief executive officer, said. "The accomplishments of this team are unmatched in human spaceflight."
All laid off employees will receive severance compensation and support for resume development, job interview training and career transition training. This layoff is part of an estimated 8,000 jobs to be lost at KSC out of 15,000 total jobs as the shuttle program ends.
"Though USA will be a significantly smaller company after the space shuttle program is completed, we are optimistic about our future," Barnes said. "USA has a great deal to offer in the way of skills, experience and expertise, and we are looking forward to providing our unique capabilities to a wide variety of new and existing customers."
The company has asked for volunteers to leave the workforce.
"That's the first step of the process," Fluegel said. "Our employees were aware that this was coming."
Several smaller layoffs are expected before a massive layoff right after wheels stop on the last shuttle mission.
"We anticipate there might be a couple of small actions before we get to the end of the program," Fluegel said.
Space news and analysis from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral 
12 comments:
Thank you Obama. You just keep sleeping in your nice Lincoln Bedroom and watch Russian Progress ships fly by the space station.
NASA's mission has changed according to Bolden. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a recent interview that his "foremost" mission as the head of America's space exploration agency is to improve relations with the Muslim world."
So that is why the layoffs are happening? Outsourcing them to the Muslims?
Thank you Obama. Good luck getting Florida and getting re-elected. We will NEVER forget this.
Maybe some of our Muslim friends will hire them...
The money that has been spent to bail out irresponsible companies could have been spent to develop new rocket technoligies and continue to use the Shuttle until the protoypes were ready for flight.
IMO,Obama does not support the space program and has a personal misson to bankrupt the country.
To dictate to NASA to promote Muslim interests is enough to impeach him.
Its interesting how folks often distort what is going on in the space industry to try and fit it in to their own political spin zone.
Lets not forget it wasn't Obama that killed the Shuttle Program it was G. W. Bush that killed it after the Colombia accident in 2003. Bush Killed the shuttle program when he announced his (unfunded) vision of sending people back to the moon. So we had a republican president kill the shuttle program, and not fund a follow on program. Punting the funding problem to the next administration (makes my budget look better).
Then we have a second administration that decided to continue the bush doctrine of killing the space shuttle and also decided to not fund constellation. Where is the policy change? He just looks like the bad guy for showing up with money for another administrations funding short fall. But then again, its all about being able to take credit for accomplishments....
The only difference I see between the two, is under the Bush administration, they promised a future for NASA folks but didn't pay for it.
Under Obama, he killed hope of a follow on program by not funding it.
All I know is that we've had two presidents in a row that have been adversarial to human space flight, and have chosen to squander America's hard fought leadership in human space flight. Its sad to see how the baby boomer's continue to kill the things in our country that make it great. It seems the greatest generation left us with a tremendous legacy and I think they'd be disappointed with the boomers stewardship.
It does not matter who (Actually, Kay Bailey Hutchtinson was the bill sponsor) killed Shuttle, it is going to be retired. What most of us here at NASA are upset about is that not only is the president getting rid of the follow on program, but, he has not provided ANY true vision for the future of US space exploration. It is very sad that we have an administration that appears to care more about their OWN pet agendas, while not seeing the big picture. I think it will be a sad day when all of us are without jobs, while the president, and Mr. Bolden sits up in DC, having a good time with their Muslem Brothers! With the economy the way it is, I guess he believes that this is "Hope and Change" that they can believe in. Good luck to all at KSC and JSC! See you under the overpass bridge! I will be in the 3rd box on the left.......
Wow, the hatred for Muslims here is disturbing. How would you feel if someone said the same thing about Christians? That's what I thought. Please people, let's practice tolerance for ALL religions.
3:18.....What does the National Aeronautics and Space Abministration have to do with ANY religion? Sad to me that poliitcs seems to be drivng the future of our space program.....
"All laid off employees will receive severance compensation and support for resume development, job interview training and career transition training."
How many other laid off Americans get a great deal like that? Not Many! Their severance pay should be enough to give them a lavish vacation before all those free benefits they'll have to land their new jobs. Many of them are contract workers and they're all aware that when a contract ends they'll have to look for another job. Time to move on people. If the unemployment line is good for the rest of laid off Americans it won't hurt you guys either. Infinity and Beyond as Buz Lightyear would say.
It's seems alright for our politicians to outsource all other American jobs to Muslim countries and elsewhere; so its about time they do it to government employees as well. See you all on the great American unemployment line.
Unfortunately what nobody seems to understand is its about Leadership, and their aint none.
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