TEXARKANA, TX – Red River Army Depot announced it would lay off about 300 more employees this
year. With over 600 let go a few months ago, the total of lay offs is nearly 1,000 in this rural community.
International machinists union President Robert Martinez Jr. and National Federation of Federal Employees President Randy L. Erwin sent a joint letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott about the effects of laying off International Association of Machinists members at the depot near Hooks, Texas.
“RRAD is the main economic driver for the Texarkana area with a direct impact on communities in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas,” Martinez and Erwin said in the letter. “A recent economic impact study completed by the University of Arkansas found that the May 2018 layoffs alone, would slash the region’s economic output by $255 million and result in the loss of more than 400 indirect and induced jobs in the surrounding community.”
IAM members at the Texarkana, Texas-area depot maintain and repair military vehicles. This includes the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles.
