ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, August 14, 1996 TAG: 9608140024
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: RADFORD
SOURCE: ELISSA MILENKY STAFF WRITER
The Radford Army Ammunition Plant laid off 31 employees last week following delays in the launch of a new chemical product line and production schedule changes in smokeless propellant orders.
Most of the laid-off employees are expected to return to their jobs in about three months once work can begin on a chemical component used in the manufacture of polyurethane foams, according to a Tuesday news release.
The arsenal recently announced a contract with Pennsylvania-based Air Products & Chemicals to manufacture a product called DNT, which is similar to the explosive TNT, at the ammunition plant.
About 62 people are expected to work on the new product line. Nearly half of those jobs already have been filled, primarily by people within the existing work force. Human Resources Director Chuck Lee said delays in getting facilities ready for the new product line have meant temporary layoffs that have affected the entire plant.
Layoffs were based on labor contract seniority, meaning the employees who were assigned to the new product line were not necessarily the ones who temporarily lost their jobs, Lee said. The arsenal is spending $3.6 million in federal funds to reopen its old TNT plant to manufacture the new line.
Lee did not elaborate on the production schedule changes in smokeless propellant orders, saying only that there has been a "lull in orders." He could not say when employees affected by those changes would be called back.
The arsenal, still one of the New River Valley's largest employers, has reduced its work force steadily this decade, from 3,500 in 1991 to approximately 1,100 this year.
LENGTH: Short : 39 lines KEYWORDS: JOBCHEKby CNB