TEXARKANA, Tex.—The International Association of Machinists and its federal-employee affiliate are
urging Congress to stop the planned layoff of about 570 workers at the Red River Army Depot scheduled for May. The commander of the depot, which manufactures military vehicles such as the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle and also installs protection against mines, announced the layoffs in early March, citing planned reductions in the facility’s workload. In a letter sent Mar. 19, Machinists International President Robert Martinez, Jr., and National Federation of Federal Employees President Randy L. Erwin asked Congress to demand that “the Department of Defense take immediate action to protect workload” and provide the depot’s command “with the necessary approval and authority to avert these needless and harmful layoffs.” The workers facing the ax comprise 403 civilian defense contractors the IAM and about 170 federal employees represented by NFFE. “Further layoffs are a serious possibility later in 2018,” the two union heads warned. “It should be unacceptable to sustain the loss of workload and the subsequent damage to the economy without a fierce response to demand the transfer work back to RRAD.” Read more
