North American Windpower: Vestas Issues More Layoffs In Colorado, Ends Work-Share Program

by NAW Staff on Thursday 21 February 2013

Less than two months after launching a work-share program designed to retain employees at three of its Colorado manufacturing facilities, Vestas has announced that it is laying off a total of 110 workers at its blade factories in Windsor and Brighton, Colo.

The company will also discontinue its participation in the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment's work-share program. Under that program, hourly workers at the company's Windsor and Brighton blade facilities were working 32-hour work weeks, and workers at the company's Pueblo tower factory were working 24-hour work weeks.

All of the remaining hourly production workers at the Windsor and Brighton blade factories will move back to 40-hour work weeks, effective Feb. 25.

The new round of layoffs does not impact employees at Vestas’ nacelle factory in Brighton or its tower factory in Pueblo. In fact, due to a recently signed tower supply deal, Vestas will add more than 100 jobs in Pueblo by the end of this quarter, the company said.

Like many other companies in the wind energy supply chain, Vestas has suffered the financial consequences of last year’s uncertainty about the fate of the production tax credit. Last year, the company cut nearly 5,000 positions, representing about 22% of its global workforce. Earlier this month, Vestas said it expects to lay off another 1,800 employees globally by the end of this year.

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