RICHMOND —
The Blue Grass Army Depot notified its workforce Monday that a reduction in force of as many as 300 employees may be necessary next year.
Demand for depot services is falling with the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and the winding down of operations in Afghanistan, according to a news release from depot spokesperson Samuel Hudson.
The depot, a subordinate unit of the Army's Joint Munitions Command, has indicated it does not currently have enough workload for fiscal year 2013-14 for more than 300 personnel, Hudson's release stated.
Monday's announcement “was not an official notification of a reduction in force, only that the RIF may be necessary to balance the workforce with shrinking workload,” according to the release.
A reduction in force, however, would require Congressional approval, it added.
The depot will work with Joint Munitions Command to reduce the impact of the potential force reduction through normal attrition, hiring controls and the use of voluntary retirement and voluntary separation incentive pay. It also is aggressively pursuing public-private partnership workload and funding streams to help reduce the financial impact, according to the release.
A transition office will be opened to provide employees with a one-stop source of information and assistance for local job opportunities, Army and Defense Department job-placement programs, job re-training, tuition assistance and resume development.
The depot's civilian workforce underwent a significant increase between 2007 and 2010, due primarily to the depot's setting up a Mine Resistant Ambush Protection (MRAP) program to support military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The program produced armor that protected vehicles from the effects of mines and bombs buried in roadways.
As U.S. military involvement in Middle East conflicts winds down, the MRAP and related programs are ending, and the depot “simply does not have the workload to maintain the current workforce levels,” according to the statement.
The “strict security posture” for safe and secure storage and destruction of the depot's chemical weapons stockpile will not be affected by any possible workforce reduction, the statement concluded.
Local News
Depot could lose 300 jobs next year
Blue Grass Army Depot
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