The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM Union) has called on Texas Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, as well as Representatives Michael Cloud and Vincente Gonzalez, to intervene in planned layoffs at the Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD). The union is urging these lawmakers to take immediate action to stop the termination of nearly 900 jobs scheduled for September 30, 2025.
The IAM represents about 200 civilian defense contractors at CCAD who have received layoff notices. Additionally, approximately 200 of the depot’s 2,300 federal employees—also represented by the IAM—are among the 600 federal positions marked for elimination. Further job cuts remain possible.
“CCAD is the world’s largest rotary-wing repair facility and is considered a Department of Defense (DoD) Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence for rotary-wing aircraft,” wrote IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “The depot employs more than 2,500 highly skilled workers. The workforce and repair capacity at CCAD is vitally important to our military readiness and national security. To begin to disassemble this workforce and squander this capacity would be both imprudent and inefficient. CCAD is also a major economic driver for southern Texas. With CCAD pouring over $1.6 billion into the regional economy annually, job reductions on the scale proposed will have major implications for the surrounding communities.”
The union notes that CCAD contributes over $1.6 billion each year to the local economy, supporting thousands of jobs in Corpus Christi and neighboring areas. The IAM warns that cutting such a large number of jobs would not only impact national defense operations but also have broad economic effects throughout southern Texas.
IAM leaders are asking Texas lawmakers to press the Department of Defense and U.S. Army to reverse their downsizing plan in order to safeguard both the depot’s mission and its contributions to local employment.
The IAM Union represents around 600,000 active and retired members across various industries in North America, including aerospace, defense, airlines, shipbuilding, railroads, transit systems, healthcare, automotive manufacturing, among others.
