TOBYHANNA -- At least 30 and possibly up to 130 contracted employees at the Tobyhanna Army Depot could lose their jobs by this summer, a depot spokesman confirmed on Wednesday.
The layoffs will begin April 13, said Ed Mickley, the public affairs officer for Northeast Pennsylvania�??s largest employer.
He said the decision was made based on workflow and workforce. The company that contracts with the depot to provide the employees, URS Federal Support Services Inc. out of Oklahoma City, was informed Tuesday of the decision. Employees were told Wednesday though it will be up to URS to determine which employees will be impacted.
The contractors handle industrial trades and electronics jobs. No Army civilian employees are affected by the cuts.
Mickley said that �??130 out of 5,400 is not a lot�?� but for those included in the 130 it will hurt. He also noted that 130 is not a guaranteed number, but a worst case scenario. Thirty is a guaranteed number, however. Contractors make up 850 positions of the 5,400 at the depot in Monroe County.
The U.S. Army will celebrate its 100th anniversary at Tobyhanna this summer.