Aviation News Item: 11579

18th Aug 2010

Source: kansas.com

Cessna Aircraft is issuing 60-day layoff notices to about 75 workers at its Independence plant this week.

The cuts are due to a previously announced reduction in the production of Citation Mustang business jets, Cessna spokesman Doug Oliver said.

In June, Cessna said it had halted deliveries of the jets because of a supplier issue. As a result of the parts shortage, about 200 employees on the program took five- to seven-week furloughs.

Sales of the Mustang have also been slow, officials have said.

More than 800 people work in Independence. The plant also builds Cessna 172, 182 and 206 single-engine aircraft.

In other Cessna news, Cessna and the Machinists union in Wichita open contract negotiations on Friday.

The current contract, which covers 2,300 hourly workers in Wichita, expires Sept. 19.

That's a deep decrease from the last round of talks three years ago when the union represented 6,200 Cessna workers.

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