Northrop Grumman to cut 150 military laser jobs

Apopka, FL--Northrop Grumman Corporation is shedding 150 high-paying, high-tech jobs at its Orlando-area laser-weaponry factory--its first job cuts there in about two decades--according to a February 12 news story in the Orlando Sentinel. Northrop said the layoffs reflect anticipated cuts in U.S. military spending, which the company expects will affect its orders, contracts and business volume.

The news story says the downsizing will affect more than 14% of the nearly 1100 workers in the company's Laser Systems Division in Apopka, a spokeswoman said this week. Northrop plans to issue pink slips to 90 workers by late February; with an expected termination date in mid-March. Sixty workers have already taken voluntary buyouts, and their jobs were eliminated as of Jan. 31, the company said.

The laser-systems unit is among the main players nationally in laser-optic weapons technology, which is also one of the largest sectors of Central Florida's high-tech industry. "This work-force reduction action is regrettable but unavoidable," spokeswoman Yolanda Murphy said in a written statement. "It is imperative that the company properly adjusts staffing levels to accommodate anticipated business needs going forward."

The jobs cuts are the largest locally so far to be tied to the Defense Department's budget squeeze. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has proposed cutting nearly $80 billion over the next few years. Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control in Orlando laid off 90 workers last year--that unit's first layoffs in a decade. And Lockheed's Global Training & Logistics unit in Orlando laid off nearly 50 people in 2009.

News of the Northrop layoffs was unnerving, said Dr. Bahaa Saleh, director of the University of Central Florida's Center for Research and Education in Optics & Lasers. "This is surprising, very surprising," he said. "I know that Northrop received a very large contract last year for weapons-targeting systems; I had hoped that would help them avoid work-force reductions. This is not good news." If the job losses spread to other local companies, Saleh said, it would be a big blow to the region's laser research-and-development work.

Jobs affected at Northrop Laser Systems run the gamut, from program managers and engineers to technicians and administrative support staff. Northrop would not disclose salaries of the targeted workers; local industry officials estimated average salaries for the positions being eliminated as ranging from $70,000 to $90,000--more than two to three times the region's average.

Northrop said its "long-term business outlook for Laser Systems remains bright, and toward that end we will continue to selectively seek and hire critical skill talent to support future programs and growth initiatives."

SOURCE:Orlando Sentinel; www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-layoffs-northrop-laser-unit-20110212,0,473849.story?track=rss

Posted by:Gail Overton

Subscribe now to Laser Focus World magazine; It’s free!

Follow us on Twitter

Follow OptoIQ on your iPhone. Download the free App here