More layoffs hit Oklahoma including shutdown of aerospace plant

 

While Oklahoma’s energy industry has endured thousands of layoffs in the coronavirus pandemic and the oil crisis, so have other industries including chain stores in the state.

The latest to be told their jobs will soon end are employees of a Dillard’s store in Lawton and an aircraft manufacturing plant in Tulsa.

Tulsa operations of Triumph Aerospace Structures announced it is closing the plant and laying off 225 workers.

Located at 2035 85th East Avenue in Tulsa, the plant is one of 28 plants the company has in the U.S. and Mexico in addition to 9 located in Europe. The company notified the Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development stating that the layoffs will begin July 7 and be completed by August 6, 2020.

The Tulsa plant specialized in business jet wing design, manufacturing and assembly, engineering and production.

Worldwide, the company manufactures and designs parts of military and commercial planes including wings, wing boxes, fuselage panels, horizontal and vertical tails and sub-assemblies such as floor grids.

The Dillards store issued a WARN notice this week to the Oklahoma Office of Workforce Department and said it will be closing effective August 1, 2020.

As a result, 49 employees currently on furlough were terminated this week and 41 active workers will be laid off between July 19 and the first of August.

With the state’s energy industry suffering in the pandemic and energy downturn, it means there is less money to spend at clothing stores that were also closed during the pandemic.

Source: Office of Workforce Development