Bombardier to cut 1700 aerospace jobs in Canada, U.S.
The Bombardier plant in Plattsburgh. Photo: Sarah Harris
The Canadian Press reported today that Bombardier will lay off 1700 workers in its aerospace division. About 1100 of those workers, they report, are Canadian, mostly based in Montreal. The remaining 600 employees work in the U.S.
As far as we know now, the Plattsburgh plant isn’t involved in this cut. It’s part of Bombardier’s transportation division and makes rail cars. The Plattsburgh Press Republican reported a few weeks ago that the plant has a new order to build an additional 365 rail cars for the Bay Area Rapid Transit system in San Francisco.
We’ll be watching this story as it develops. In the mean time, here’s the Canadian Press full story:
Bombardier plans 1,700 layoffs from its aerospace division, mostly in Montreal, as it copes with delays with two new aircraft and a tough market.
The company disclosed the decision to its workforce an internal memo that says affected employees will be notified in the coming weeks, Bombardier spokeswoman Haley Dunne said Tuesday. Bombardier Inc. (TSX:BBD.B) said it needs to preserve cash amid delays in the CSeries commercial jet and Learjet 85 business jet as well as due to tough market conditions.
The announcement follows several recent setbacks for Bombardier, which is one of the world’s largest aircraft manufacturers.
It announced last week that its new CSeries commercial jet won’t be ready for service until the second half of 2015, several months later than its already-delayed previous goal.
On Monday, Bombardier said it received 19 per cent fewer new orders for commercial and business aircraft last year than in 2012.
The layoffs represent six per cent of the workforce at Bombardier Aerospace, one of the company’s two main division. Bombardier is also one of the world’s largest producers of equipment for transit systems.
About 1,100 of 22,200 Bombardier Aerospace employees in Canada are affected by the pending layoffs, about 80 per cent in Montreal.
In the United States, another 600 of 5,700 positions are affected.
The positions being cut involve unionized and management positions and include 300 already eliminated in December.
Tags: canada, champlain valley, economy, news, transportation
If our governments would stop subsidizing highways and airlines, there would be much more business for rail transit. Or we could say, If our governments would stop subsidizing coal, oil, and gas exploration and development, there would be a lot more investment in renewable energy. Or we might even say, If our government spent less subsidizing the arms manufacturers, there would be a lot more money for education. It seems over and over, that our governments are getting it wrong, that they are supporting the already rich, and that they are NOT looking out for the future of the people,OR the planet. What will we do about this??
Maybe governments should just get out of the subsidizing business.
What will we do about this? You might start by understanding that the majority of “government subsidies” are indirect subsidies based on the tax code, that every business in the US can take advantage of. That’s right, all the businesses that all of us work for. Direct subsidies are often given at the state and local level and are designed to promote business activity, especially jobs creation. You make it sound like the government is handing bags of cash to evil corporations and their over-paid CEOs. Let’ s sTop with the tired old socialist crap about the evils of capital, the rich and the government working together to oppress the working man. OK, stop all the government “subsidizing”, you can kiss your job, your pension and your 401K good bye.
There’s nothing remotely tired about the evils of capital, and government in bed with the wealthy. We have the best government money can buy. Ever hear of ALEC?
How is it, Larry, that when the government gives poor folk a break it is said that it kills their motivation to work, but if the government doesn’t give rich corporations a break they won’t be able to function? Strange!
A recent example: Former Virginia Governor and His Wife Are Indicted
And here is a pretty remarkable inside view of the cancer that’s eating the nation: For the Love of Money
I assume these layoffs are a direct result of lowered defense spending in the US.