AAR Plant In Cullman (Alabama) Closing, 213 Jobs Lost

The reason for this mass layoff story is that the company in question got stabbed in the back by the U.S. Army, of all entities. Here is a local Alabama television station with the details:

Major layoffs have been announced at a plant in Cullman. The Illinois-based company AAR Corp. will close their Cullman plant at the end of June, eliminating 213 jobs, according to company spokesperson Chris Mason.

The layoffs are the result of the U.S. Army's decision to switch to a Canadian manufacturer. AAR Corp. Mobility Systems, an aerospace and defense contractor company, made a transportation device called a MK 1077 flat rack for the U.S. Army.

A skeleton crew will remain at the plant in hopes that the company will land another contract. The company says the laid-off employees will be given severance pay and help with creating resumes.

There used to be a quaint little law on the books called the Buy America Act that applied to federal government procurements. I guess somewhere along the way that law must have been repealed. In any event, it would be nice if some Congressman or Senator got their head out their ass and took a break from demagoguing over birth control and take a few minutes to send a letter asking the Army why it feel it is appropriate to give this contract to a foreign company and cost a bunch of American workers their jobs.


Bonus: Ironically, Neil Young, who was the inspiration for this song, is from Canada