Hawker Beechcraft Union Hints at Major Layoffs

As many as 4,500 of Hawker Beechcraft Corp.’s (HBC) 6,000 employees could lose their jobs in the next two years, according to a report from the Wichita affiliate of NBC News. The union that represents employees at HBC quoted a letter from company management concerning ongoing meetings with union leaders. The company cited: “… serious challenges it faces during these unprecedented economic times. These conversations have included a spectrum of possibilities for the company’s future and the likely impact on its workforce in all its locations.” The union told NBC: “The picture we are getting is of a Hawker Beechcraft Wichita that will shrink almost immediately by 75 percent or more within two years, without a guarantee of even the last few jobs staying.”