Sikorsky Aircraft notified employees today that they will be laying off around 600 employees, mostly in Connecticut, because of “challenging and unstable economic conditions.”
The company employs around 8,200 people in Connecticut and 16,500 total globally, according to a statement from spokesman Paul Jackson.
Many of the layoffs will be in Stratford, according to State Senator Kevin Kelly, who issued a statement saying he is "extremely disappointed."
“I am extremely disappointed that Sikorsky will be eliminating so many jobs here in Connecticut. Hundreds of families will be negatively impacted by this decision, and my heart goes out to these individuals. Our community will suffer greatly from this loss," Kelly said in a statement. “Right now my top concern is to help the displaced workers. But we also must look at the bigger issues at play. Connecticut’s economy is suffering and our job market is shrinking. When a layoff of this scale occurs, it becomes clear that Connecticut is in trouble. If our employers cannot prosper, neither can our people.”
About half of the people being laid off are salaried positions while the other half hold hourly positions.
“Today we notified employees that the company will undertake further restructuring amid the challenging and unstable economic conditions that continue to affect our industry. This workforce reduction will occur over the next several weeks and follow significant cost reduction actions that the company has already taken. These decisions are always difficult to make but necessary to protect the company’s competitiveness and future. As is our practice, we will provide transition assistance for those employees who are affected,” Jackson said in a statement.
Cuts to hourly employees will be staggered throughout the year.
Kelly said he will be sending a letter to the state Department of Labor Commissioner Glen Marshall to express his concerns and ask that the department’s Rapid Response Team be dispatched to educate the workers about training opportunities, job search assistance and unemployment benefits.
