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Hawker Beechcraft issues mandatory furloughs to employees

Last Tuesday, Hawker Beechcraft announced that it will be issuing mandatory furloughs to its employees in Little Rock, Wichita, Kansas.

In a memo for the employees, the aircraft manufacturer said that the mandatory furloughs will take place during the following dates: June 29-July 2, November 23-25, and December 21-24. The time off will be unpaid for employees who are unable to use vacation days and earned time offs.

“There is no doubt this may represent a hardship for some during these challenging times,” Rich Jiwanlal, Hawker Beechcraft’s vice president of human resources, wrote in the memo. “However, measures like these are essential to further strengthen the company financially and position us better to face additional challenges in the coming year.”

Hawker Beechcraft operates a completions center at the Little Rock National Airport. Last October, the company reported that its Arkansas division has 900 employees, but streamlining has reduced its workforce.

Last February, the company said it would cut 2,300 jobs by the end of December 2009. Hawker also warned employees of the company’s poor performance during the third quarter of 2008. The private jet manufacturer had a growing backlog of orders and orders began to slow down during the fall season.