OSHKOSH, Wis.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Apr. 10, 2014– Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) announced today that its Defense segment plans to reduce its workforce in Oshkosh by approximately 700 hourly positions starting in June 2014. In addition, approximately 60 salaried positions will be eliminated starting in July with the vast majority being temporary employees and those retiring. After the layoffs, Oshkosh Defense will employ approximately 1,850 employees in Oshkosh.
“We need to reshape our workforce with U.S. defense spending down as a result of tight government budgets and a return to peacetime operations,” said
John Urias
,Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president of Oshkosh Defense. “We have gone to great lengths to minimize and delay the impact of the reduced spending on our Defense workforce. We explored and implemented a range of alternatives from not filling open positions to bringing in outside contracted work as promised in earlier discussions with the UAW, which represents our production employees, as well as continuing to pursue relevant international opportunities.”
Oshkosh plans to reach out to county and state workforce development agencies and local employers to help those affected in the layoffs make the transition to other employment if they so desire. The Company also plans to hold job fairs with local and state-wide employers.
Urias went on to say, “We stand very committed to our customer, as well as our employees, and will be diligent in our actions to be aligned with the current defense business environment. We will continue to employ a strong workforce ready to fulfill all contractual requirements and new potential opportunities, such as the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program.”
