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July 27, 2009
VERO BEACH — Jennifer Ware spent most of Monday looking for a new job after being laid off from Piper Aircraft Inc. last week.
“When my department supervisor said you need to come with me to see HR, I already knew what I was going to hear,” said Ware, who worked at Piper for three years before being laid off on Thursday. “They said 45 were let go (on Thursday).”
Ware said there were additional layoffs at Piper on Friday, but company executives aren’t disclosing how many workers have been affected by the latest round.
Piper spokesman Mark Miller did not return calls Monday.
Ware said on Thursday, she was told by human resources officials four other workers in her department were losing their jobs because of a lack of orders at Piper.
County officials said they were not informed about Piper’s layoffs last week.
“In this economic environment, it wouldn’t surprise me if there were more reductions,” said County Administrator Joe Baird Monday. “But we’re not in the business of managing their business.”
Indian River County Commission Vice Chairman Joe Flescher said he hopes Piper will communicate with the county about operational changes made at the plant.
“The only manner in which this is filtering through is when I speak to family and friends,” said Flescher about the layoffs. “I think we got accustomed to the openness that had been there for so many years, even long before I was here. I sincerely hope this is not a different Piper.”
Imprimis, a corporate finance and investment management firm backed financially by the Brunei Darussalam Ministry of Finance purchased Piper from American Capital Ltd. on May 1.
This is the third round of layoffs at Piper during the last year. In February, 300 Piper employees were laid off without severance, in addition to the 150 layoffs before the holidays. The company has also instituted monthly furloughs and reduced work schedules, citing the global recession.
Ware, who last worked in the bonding department, said Piper employees had just returned to work after a three-week plant shutdown.
“A lot of people are frustrated because they just want to know instead of being called out at the last minute,” Ware said about the layoffs. “A lot of people used to be afraid, but everyone just goes about (work) day by day now.”
Baird said Piper has not communicated with the county about plans to meet future performance measures to receive the remaining installments of its $32 million incentive package, which is tied to employment levels and production of the new PiperJet.
Last year, Piper received its first payment of $4 million from Indian River County and almost $6.7 million from the state. The state is scheduled to give Piper about $6.7 million, if their second set of conditions are met by Dec. 31, 2011 and an estimated $6.7 million if the third set of conditions are met by Dec. 31, 2013. Two more $4 million payments will come from the county, in addition to the state funds.
According to the contract, the company could have to repay one-seventh of the money it received plus interest if employment drops below a certain level. The company, however, can temporarily avoid that penalty by invoking a contract provision that allows it to extend timelines for a one- or two-year period if operations are effected by unforeseen economic downturns and acts of God. The contract between Piper, the county and state is through Jan. 31, 2016.
On Monday, Piper announced through its Web site that it plans to hire 50 engineers to ramp up development of the PiperJet. There was no mention of layoffs in Piper’s media release from executive announcements made at AirVenture Oshkosh, an international air show in Wisconsin.
Baird and other county officials last week said the incentive package is now in a “holding pattern” until they hear from Piper.
“I just hope they can get through this and get back to making airplanes or better yet, selling them,” said Commission Chairman Wesley Davis. “You can’t make them, if you can’t sell them.”
PIPER AIRCRAFT'S ANNOUNCEMENTS AT AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH
On Monday, Piper executives made several announcements at AirVenture Oshkosh, an international air show in Wisconsin. According to Piper’s Web site, the company is:
Hiring 50 engineers to ramp up development of the PiperJet.
Deploying the latest addition to Hartzell Propeller’s Top Prop line up — an advanced second generation composite propeller — on its Piper PA-46 Mirage and Matrix piston-engine aircraft,
Seeking proposals for the international expansion of dealer bases throughout Asia, Pacific/Oceania, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Central America and Caribbean regions.
Adding the Garmin G600 glass avionics suite to the Piper A primary trainers, its twin-engine aircraft and the newly revamped Piper Archer that will come to market next year.
There are 204 orders for the PiperJet.
PiperJet has achieved major milestones, including first-flight in July 2008, maximum certification altitude of 35,000 feet in April 2009 and opening the full speed envelope in the last month.
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