As a result of U.S. Defence Secretary’s announcement that most of the nearly 400,000 civilian Department of Defense (DOD) employees have been deemed essential for national security, Lockheed Martin decided to reduce the number of employees who will be affected by government shutdown.
“The Department of Defense’s decision will not eliminate the impact of the government shutdown on the company’s employees and the business. The company will still have approximately 2,400 employees unable to work because the civil government facility where they perform their work is closed, or we’ve received a stop-work order on their DOD or civil government program. Of the 2,400 employees, approximately 2,100 work on civilian agency programs and 300 work on DOD programs. The affected employees are located in 27 states, with the majority based in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area,” the company said in a release.
Lockheed Martin said that approximately 3,000 employees have been identified for furlough on Monday, Oct. 7 as a result of the government shutdown. Furthermore, the number of employees affected was expected to increase weekly in the event of a prolonged shutdown.
“In an effort to minimize the impact on our employees, we are directing affected employees to use available vacation time so they can continue to receive their pay and benefits. We hope that Congress and the Administration are able to resolve this situation as soon as possible,” said Marillyn A. Hewson, Lockheed Martin Chief Executive Officer and President.
Having received the news of US Defence Secretary’s announcement, Lockheed Martin stressed that they plan to work closely with their customers to support the return of DCMA inspectors, and other DOD civilian customers, as they resume their important work on numerous company’s programs.
“We continue to urge Congress and the Administration to come to an agreement that funds the government as soon as possible,” Lockheed Martin’s release further read.
[mappress] Press Release,October 8, 2013