Cessna to Lay Off 2,000 More Workers

By Roxana Hegeman

WICHITA, Kan. -- Cessna Aircraft told workers Monday that it will lay off an additional 2,000 employees across its facilities, saying the job cuts are necessary to ensure its long-term stability and success.

The announcement was made in an email from Cessna's head of human resources, Jim Walters, to employees. The workforce reductions will be implemented across the Wichita, Kan.-based company's facilities and affect all pay categories, it said. Cessna is a unit of Textron(TXT Quote).

"These actions are regrettable, but necessary to ensure our long-term stability and success," Walters told employees in the email. "As always, we remain committed to keep you informed of the processes and next steps as we work through this difficult time."

Workers will receive 60-day notices within the next few weeks, with the cuts occurring in March, Cessna spokesman Robert Stangarone said. As part of the cuts, the company will offer a voluntary layoff program, with details to be released later.

"These are particularly difficult times and it is very painful to lose so many great team members, and unfortunately we must take these steps to protect the future of our company," Stangarone said in a telephone interview.

The layoffs were not entirely unexpected. The company told its employees last week that it was planning a second round of cuts, a month after it issued 60-day layoff notices to about 500 Wichita employees and 165 workers in Bend, Ore.

Cessna is Wichita's biggest employer, with 12,000 employees. The company also has 1,300 people working at its Independence facility and has manufacturing facilities in Columbus, Ga.; Bend, Ore.; and Chihuahua, Mexico.