Another round of layoffs at Spirit Aerosystems expected after ventilator program canceled

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - There could be another round of layoffs for Spirit Aerosystems workers.

The company has already laid off thousands prior to the pandemic because of the production halt of the Boeing 737 MAX jet.

A new ventilator project, introduced back in April, brought in over 1,000 more jobs for Wichita workers.

But, earlier this month, Spirit CEO Tom Gentile announced the company was canceling the contract and would no longer be making those ventilators.

This means those 1,000 jobs are now being bumped back to jobs on-site at Spirit. This is what the company calls “The Waterfall Effect:” those who may have less seniority at the company could face layoffs.

The President of the District 70 Union Cornell Beard said he hopes there won’t be another massive layoff from this.

“So now those folks are essentially going to be possibly bumping someone else out and placing them on the warning or layoff,” Beard said. “So it’s a real, real trying time right now.”

Beard said he believes Gentile is doing everything he can to keep jobs in Wichita, but with the decline in the aircraft industry, layoffs are expected.

Copyright 2020 KWCH. All rights reserved.