Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 18, 1993 TAG: 9309180020
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LON WAGNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
International military orders, which the company thought would not come until 1994, instead were placed this year. That allows the company to continue at its present production levels through December, ITT spokeswoman Laurel Holder said.
"I think it's good news - certainly for the people that were given their 60-day notices back in July," Holder said.
ITT served those notices on July 15 to 120 workers at its Electro-Optical Products Division on Plantation Road. Friday's announcement said employment of 110 workers would be "extended." Holder said the other 10 workers who were notified in July had found jobs outside the company.
The job cuts were to have affected 80 union employees and 40 salaried workers. Representatives of the International Union of Electrical Workers, which represents a portion of the plant's work force, were not available to comment Friday.
The ITT plant near Hollins employs 685 people. The company's Plantation Road facility employed almost 1,100 up until 1990, when it cut 400 jobs. Earlier this year, 30 salaried workers were laid off.
The plant makes night-vision goggles and other equipment for military and commercial use.
The Army has been ITT's biggest customer for many years. But since the end of the Cold War, ITT has tried to shift some of the market for its night-vision technology to commercial users, especially the maritime industry.
The company has won the major portion of military contracts for night-vision goggles during the past decade, but the size of those contracts has fallen steadily.
This summer the company introduced its latest effort to commercialize military technology when it put water-resistant, floating night-vision goggles on the market for boaters. Called Night Mariners, the civilian version of goggles used by American soldiers in the Persian Gulf war has a price tag of $2,395.
But at least for now, ITT doesn't think its attempt to crossover into commercial markets will happen quickly enough to save many jobs.
"We're encouraged by the response we've been receiving," Holder said. "However, that's certainly not coming into play at this time."
by CNB