Gulfstream Layoffs 2019: 440 Lose Jobs In Business, Administrative Areas

Business jet aircraft maker Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation has fired 446 of its more than 13,000 employees. Gulfstream is a subsidiary of defense and aerospace giant, General Dynamics Corporation.

The cashiered employees formerly worked at the company headquarters in Savannah, Georgia and at 11 other locations around the United States. Most of these ex-employees were employed at the company's business support and administrative units. The manufacturing and maintenance units were largely unaffected.

Gulfstream said firing these people is meant "to ensure Gulfstream’s continued long-term success." The company said getting this job done means it "must consistently evaluate the size and structure of the business and adjust accordingly. We will continue to hire and add resources in areas aligned with our strategic growth plan, while judiciously consolidating, integrating and streamlining resources that no longer align with that plan."

It regrets the impact this decision has on its employees. Corporate spokesperson Heidi Fedak said depending on individual eligibility criteria, employees could receive benefits that include severance and benefits extensions.

On the other hand, Gulfstream affirmed it will continue to hire technicians for its service center at the Appleton International Airport in Greenville, Wisconsin that opened in late August.

The new service center and its 190,000 square foot hangar and office space is Gulfstream's largest expansion in its 20 years in Greenville. It was built at an investment of $40 million and will create 200 jobs.

The service center will include a hangar, offices, back shops and support space. It’s located at the Appleton International Airport between two existing Gulfstream hangars west of the Greenville water tower.

Savannah Mayor Eddie DeLoach told WTOC-TV that Gulfstream talked to him about the layoffs. He said Gulfstream was "going to have to do some of those job layoffs due to the fact that the areas they were pushing heavier into, some of the folks that they had on staff were not in management positions and different ones, didn’t fit the criteria in that area."

Gulfstream will open four other expanded or new service centers in 2019 and 2020. These service centers are located at Savannah, Georgia; Van Nuys, California; Palm Beach, Florida; and Farnborough, England.