Published: July 22, 2008 11:46 pm         

Vance layoffs: Steps being taken to lessen the impact

The announcement of job cuts by the primary civilian contractor at Vance Air Force Base will have an effect on the city’s economy, but steps are being taken to lessen the impact, local officials said.

“We hate to see the layoffs,” said Jon Blankenship, president and chief executive officer of Greater Enid Chamber of Commerce. “It is a very tough thing for the people and the families involved. These are among the better jobs in the Enid region.”

CSC Applied Technologies LLC laid off 30 workers at Vance in June and recently announced 42 more employees will be laid off effective Aug. 4.

Union officials would not provide exact salary figures for employees affected by the layoffs, but Blanken-ship said “You are talking about jobs in the $30,000 to $50,000 range, in general.”

Calls and e-mails to a CSC spokeswoman were not returned.

Blankenship said, given Enid’s tight labor market, he hopes local employers will be able to absorb some of the employees being laid off by CSC.

“There is a role for us to play to try and interface with Vance to try and place as many people as possible,” Blankenship said. “Inevitably there will be some that will have to look for opportunities outside of Enid as well, but we hope we can keep that to a minimum.”

He said local CSC officials are providing information about the employees affected by the layoff. No names will be included, but details of the job skills and work experience of each employee will be placed in the chamber’s newsletter.

“It is a win, win, hopefully, for the employees and employers,” Blanken-ship said.

Teri Holle, director of business and industry for Autry Technology Center, said school officials were contacted by local CSC human resources officials, seeking assistance to employees who have lost their jobs.

“They can come out and talk to our job developer, and she will tell them about jobs in the area for their skill sets,” Holle said. “Or they can have their skills assessed and go on for more training. We find out what they are looking for first, then see what we can do to meet those needs.”

The real impact of the layoffs, said Jerry McCune, president and directing business representative for International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 171, is personal.

“We had one (worker), we asked if he had any questions, and he said, ‘Yeah, do you know anybody who wants to buy a 2008 GMC four-wheel drive 371 engine pickup?’” McCune said. “He had bought a brand new one, now he’s unemployed.”

Laid-off workers can collect unemployment, up to a maximum of $392 per week, but will have to pay 102 percent of the premium to continue the full medical, dental and vision insurance they received while they were working.

“That makes it unaffordable,” McCune said.

He also is concerned about the layoffs affecting the remaining workers’ ability to do their jobs.

“CSC has put us in the position that we can’t get the work done,” McCune said. “We’re not to blame. They’re not going to reverse it, they don’t care.

“In my opinion they bought the contract at any cost, underbid it at any cost, then sacrificed the work force to make it happen.”

Of the 72 total layoffs, 10 are uncontested to this point, McCune said, meaning some veteran workers have opted to step aside or retire so younger workers could keep their jobs. Three aircraft maintenance workers who accepted uncontested layoffs, McCune said, “had over 106 years of experience in aircraft maintenance, which will be lost. Our loss of experienced workers in base maintenance and aircraft maintenance represents a critical mistake for Vance Air Force Base.”

McCune and Mike Cooper, military liaison for the city of Enid, both have been in contact with the office of Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla.

“As always our concern is safety,” Cooper said. “We have given our concerns to the leadership at CSC, and Sen. Inhofe’s staff has spoken to the Air Force leadership and asked, ‘Can we do this safely?’ They (CSC) have assured them they can.

“Based on all the data we see, the numbers don’t seem to work. But it is their contract, it is their job to effectively manage that contract in a safe manner.”

McCune’s assessment is more blunt.

“The community and the Air Force must realize in the difficult months ahead that these unjustified cuts in manning are not legitimate and will cripple our ability to complete our assigned duties,” he said.