Lockheed Martin Furloughs Thousands

UPDATED

“As a result of Secretary Hagel’s announcement that most of the nearly 400,000 civilian Department of Defense (DOD) employees have been deemed essential for national security, Lockheed Martin will reduce the number of employees who will be affected by government shutdown as of Oct. 7.

The Department of Defense’s decision will not eliminate the impact of the government shutdown on the company’s employees and the business. The company will still have approximately 2,400 employees unable to work because the civil government facility where they perform their work is closed, or we’ve received a stop-work order on their DOD or civil government program. Of the 2,400 employees, approximately 2,100 work on civilian agency programs and 300 work on DOD programs. The affected employees are located in 27 states, with the majority based in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.

Lockheed Martin will work closely with our customers to support the return of DCMA inspectors, and other DOD civilian customers, as they resume their important work on many of our programs. We continue to urge Congress and the Administration to come to an agreement that funds the government as soon as possible.”

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Lockheed Martin announced on Oct. 4 that approximately 3,000 employees have been identified for furlough on Oct. 7 as a result of the government shutdown.

The number of employees affected is expected to increase weekly in the event of a prolonged shutdown. This includes employees who are unable to work because the government facility where they perform their work is closed, or their work requires a government inspection that cannot be completed, or we’ve received a stop work order.

“I‘m disappointed that we must take these actions and we continue to encourage our lawmakers to come together to pass a funding bill that will end this shutdown,” said Marillyn A. Hewson, Lockheed Martin Chief Executive Officer and President. “In an effort to minimize the impact on our employees, we are directing affected employees to use available vacation time so they can continue to receive their pay and benefits. We hope that Congress and the Administration are able to resolve this situation as soon as possible.”

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett is speaking out about the layoffs.

“Lockheed Martin, a major employer of more than 5,000 people in Montgomery County, announced today that they are laying off 3,000 workers across the country because of the federal government shutdown. These hardworking people are unnecessarily losing their jobs because of a manufactured crisis by a small group of Congressional representatives. These are the real impacts of the shutdown that are being felt all over this nation and right here in our County. Our economy is being hurt, our businesses are being hurt and our residents are being hurt.

“Once again, I call on the House of Representatives to stop this needless shutdown and get Americans back to work.”

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