Letterkenny Army Depot
More than 300 contract workers could be affected in midstate military base layoffs
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Rachel McDevitt/StateImpact Pennsylvania
Letterkenny Army Depot
Letterkenny Army Depot says up to 323 contract workers could be laid off by September. (Courtesy Letterkenny Army Depot)
(Harrisburg) — A midstate military base could lay off hundreds of workers this year.
Letterkenny Army Depot in Franklin County says the end of several maintenance programs could lead to a cut of up to 323 contract workers by September.
That’s nearly half of the depot’s 700 contract workers. The base employs about 2,200 people in total.
Depot Commander Colonel Gregory Gibbons said the base was assigned work on a Route Clearance Vehicle program in 2009, at the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He said they’ve finished a large project involving an armored vehicle, the RG-31, which has been ongoing since 2016.
“We were work-loaded to do about 830 of those and the last one has now reached the line, is in the process of being rebuilt,” Gibbons said.
The planned reduction will impact up to 75 contractors on or about March 10.
Gibbons added the estimated total layoff number is a worst-case scenario.
He expects the depot will be assigned new work as the Army’s needs change, and he hopes to rehire many of the contractors.
“This is a normal part of our business, although very personal to those that are involved,” Gibbons said.
In the meantime, area workforce development agencies say they plan to help the affected workers find new jobs.
Mike Ross, President of the Franklin County Area Development Corporation, said they aren’t worried.
“We believe that the economy is strong to be able to help absorb a lot of the folks that are being impacted,” Ross said.
