As many as 300 workers at BAE Systems in San Diego could lose their jobs in September because of a declining workload, the shipyard announced on Tuesday.
The shipyard on San Diego Bay directly employs roughly 1,570 people.
"We recognize that the workforce reduction will impact our dedicated employees and our shipyard team overall,'' a statement from the company reads.
"We greatly appreciate the contribution and hard work of the employees who will be leaving our organization.''
According to BAE Systems, the Navy used to bundle its repair contracts by the class of vessel, such as destroyers or cruisers. Recently, the Navy began issuing contracts on a ship-by-ship basis, and awards have been going to other firms.
"The change in acquisition strategy will provide the potential for greater fluctuation in the shipyard's workforce size as repair contracts are won or lost,'' the company statement says. "The workforce action provides the necessary agility to ensure BAE Systems remains in the best position to effectively support the Navy in performing its critical missions.''
The employee cutback comes not quite five months after BAE Systems introduced a 950-foot-long floating dry dock, called "Pride of California.''
