Meggitt Aircraft Braking Systems, as part of previously revealed plans, has begun moving hourly jobs from Akron to a new nonunion plant in Danville, Ky.
Fred Jones, president of the United Auto Workers Local 856, said this week that 23 hourly jobs were cut in July.
The work is going to a new final assembly and distribution center near Meggitt’s other facility in Danville.
Union officials have said the layoffs are the latest in a string of job losses at the company, which makes parts for commercial and military aircraft.
Meggitt, with facilities near the Akron Airdock, has previously shifted work to two sites in Mexico, as well as Danville, home of an aircraft carbon brake facility that Meggitt opened in 2006.
The union represents about 200 hourly workers at Meggitt. Union officials have said that is down from about 350 in spring 2007.
Company spokesman Ed Searle said Wednesday that the 23 jobs were the first of 50 hourly positions to be cut as a result of the opening of the Danville plant.
Jones said he didn’t know when the additional layoff would come.
Searle declined to comment about future layoffs of hourly workers and the status of 20 salaried positions that the company said last year would be cut as a result of the opening in Danville.
Kentucky officials awarded Meggitt state tax credits valued at up to $2 million over seven years for its Danville expansion.
Meggitt said in a letter last year to Akron employees that it “very carefully and diligently considered locating the final assembly and distribution center in Akron.” Meggitt said Danville was chosen after “a detailed analysis of the business case.”
Meggitt told Kentucky officials last year that the expansion would cost nearly $7.3 million, and would add 63 jobs that pay an average hourly wage of $19, including benefits.
Jones said the Akron union jobs being cut pay roughly $18 an hour, not including benefits.
Some of the workers in positions being cut have bumping rights into other jobs.
The union has said the final assembly and shipping jobs going to Kentucky are different from defense-related jobs the company sought to move to Mexico in 2010. Union members say they worked with U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, to keep those jobs here.
The Meggitt Akron facility is the former K&F Aircraft Braking Systems Corp. that British-based Meggitt PLC acquired in March 2007 as part of a $1.1 billion deal. K&F was formerly part of Goodyear Aerospace Corp.
Katie Byard can be reached at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com.
