HOOKS, Texas-An impending workload reduction could shed as many as nearly 300 jobs at the Red River Army Depot next month.
RRAD officials notified depot employees Wednesday of a possible employee workforce reduction of up to 294 workers starting in June.
Of the 294, roughly half (147) would be privately contracted employees while the other half would be a mixture of government-term (employment for at least one year but not more than four years) and non-permanent (temporary-not to exceed one year) government employees, said RRAD Public Affairs Officer Adrienne Brown. However, none of the depot's permanent government positions will affected, she added.
Both government-term as well as temporary personnel are hired to perform specific tasks for a prescribed time, according to depot officials. Some of those jobs include positions supporting the depot's main production and inspection missions.
"A reduction in workload requirements forces us to make difficult decisions," said U.S. Army Col. Brandon L. Grubbs, RRAD commander in a prepared statement. "We must property match workforce to workload.
The workload is directly related to the U.S. Department of Defense change of the requirements needed to support military servicemen and women, according to depot officials.
However, Dennis Lewis, Texarkana Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee chairman, said the impending workforce reduction is more like a workforce change or adjustment and not a permanent layoff of workers or loss of jobs.
"A workload reduction actually presents the depot with more reason to make these cost-control decisions," said Lewis, who also serves on the Texas Military Preparedness Commission. "This will, in turn, allow the depot to remain competitive with other military installations-competitive for new jobs that come along as military needs keep changing."
Presently, the depot employs 5,300 local and area workers. These positions include about 1,600 permanent federal employees, 1,300 permanent federal tenant employees, 1,400 private contracted employees, 800 government-term employees and about 100 temporary government employees.
A Transition Support Center, with assistance from both Texas and Arkansas, will be set up next month, to assist any displaced employees in moving to new occupations and employers. The center's purpose will be to educate and assist each displaced employee in understanding their rights and benefits.
Lewis said the depot is required to notify its entire workforce whenever more than 50 depot-related jobs could be adversely affected by a workload reduction.