Anniston Army Depot announces layoff of 190 temporary workers

The Anniston Army Depot will lay off 190 temporary workers by April 30^th.

The commander of the installation said the depot wasn’t seeing as much work as expected.

Col. Brent T. Bolander, the depot’s commander, said The reason they are releasing the temporary employees is due to a change in the workload.

The depot employs 2,900 civilian workers. They repair and refurbish artillery pieces, small arms and armored vehicles for the U.S. Army and the Marine Corps.

The Depot saw steady business during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last decade, which put battle damage and general wear on just about everything the Army uses. The drawdown in both theaters has reduced the depot’s workforce by hundreds over the past few years.

Of the 190 being laid off this year, 144 will lose their jobs Feb. 28, and another 36 will work until April 30. All are temporary workers; Bolander said none of the depot’s permanent employees were affected by the cuts.

The announcement came with little warning for some of the depot’s stakeholders. U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, said Thursday that he’d heard about the cuts only a few days earlier and had not heard a full explanation from Army officials about why the cuts happened.