Bethpage-Tribune_1991-04-05

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YOUR OFFICIALTIbMETOWN NEWSPAPEl
Sei-ving Beth page. Island Trees, Plainedge, Sea ford. Old Beth page and Plair^iew
VOL 24 NO. 18 April 5-11, 1991 25 CENTS
Things Are
Looking Up!
As you thumb through the pages of this week's Bethpage
Tribune, youll undoubtably notice something quite
different ... it's bigger. A lot bigger with a whole new
advertising supplement, an extra large classified section,
an original crossword puzzle, a top notch restaurant guide
and more news from Bethpage and its surrounding
communities. We are expanding our advertising market
while making sure to keep a firm hold on our main objective,
your local news, your activities, your organizations, and
you the residents of Bethpage. I sincerely hope that you
will find our new supplement to be informative, entertaining
and a welcome addition to the Tribune. I also thank all
our subscribers for their continued encouragement and
support and hope to expand even further in the months
and years ahead. We've come a long way baby ... but we
could never have done it without you!
- Linda Antonelli
Honored For 50 Years of Service
GULOTTA GREETS FIREFIGHTERS: Nassau County Executive Thomas
S. Gulotta, (second from right), attended the Annual Installation Dinner of
the Bethpage Fire Department, held at the Huntington Hilton.
Joining the County Executive were; Oyster Bay Councilman Leonard
Kun/Jg; Francis Debobes, Chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners;
Oyster Bay Supervisor Angelo Delligatti; Don Agiesta, firefighter honored
for 50 years of service; James H. Kiingelhoefer, firefighter honored for 50
vears of service; Brian Durr, Chief.
GRUMMAN REDUCES
WORK FORCE
In an open letter to employees
issued on April 2, 1991, Grumman
Coq)oration Chairman Renso Capo-rali
announced that the company will
reduce its work force by about 1,900
jobs. About 600-700 will be lost
through attrition, and the rest through
layoffs.
The cutbacks will affect almost
every group in the company. Several
hundred will take place in April, and
the rest will go on gradually through­out
the year.
In the letter, Caporali sited deep
cuts in the defense budget and the need
to be cost competitive as major factors
leading to the reduction in force.
The full text of the employee letter
follows:
A Letter From The Chairman
Dear Fellow Grummanites:
The best way to say it is straight and to the point: before 1991 is over,
Gniminan's work force will be smaller by about 1,900 jobs. About 600-7(K)
will be lost through attrition, and the rest by reduction in force. T ilC'.S'C CUf i)iiCKS
will be in almost every group in our company, fht /t vv cxccptiops appcm
to be Grumman Allied, Melbourne Systems and St Augustine. Several hundred
will take place in April, and the rest will go on gradually throughout the
year.
Now, how our business looks depends on wlicre you stand and if your
job is one of those to be cut, things look very bad, indeed. But while we
are going through this difficult and painful time, it is important to remember
that Grumman is still a strong and viable company, with a strong business
base. And, we really do have the technologies that make sense today the
crisis in the Persian Gulf make that quite clear.
Our need to decrease the work force comes from many things. 1 he fust
is a direct result of deep cuts in the defense budget. Secondly, we need to
get our prices down and become more competitive: that has been going on
for some time. Our A-6 production program has come to an end, our l:A-
6B modification program is being stretched out. It looks as if the 1991 budget
for remanufactured F-I4s will be restored. However, the 1992 budget has
already gone forth without funding for either new or remanufactured lomcats,
and we are facing a long and difficult fight to get money back in. liven
if we are successful, a production gap is inevitable.
Similarly, we believe that the Advanced Warning System (formerly BSIS)
is an important technology. The Air Force is now redefining its requirements
and the program will probably be recompeted but funding has been cut
severely and that has already forced us to eliminate some jobs in that group.
We\e had layoffs in the Space Station Program Support Division as NASA
has moved to scale back the program. The cutbacks in all of these programs
cause us to make reductions not just in jobs that are directly charged, but
also in overhead, support and administrative functions.
There are bright spots. At the end of the Cold War, Joint SfARS became
a target for the budget cutters who said the reason for it had disappeared.
Today, after Desert Storm, it has been said that well never fight another
war without Joint SiAKS.
We just won a $200 million .Air Force contract to improve the radar and
communications jamming capabilities on the FF-lll. We expect to sell the
more E-2C's to Japan: there are other overseas prospects for the Hawkeye,
as well as for the FA-6B. Ill E is going into production. The U.S. Postal
Service is considering an order of additional l.l.Vs for its ilcet. Grumman
Data Systems has won a half billion dollars in new work over the pa.st few
year. We're in a strong competitive position for J PA IS. the trainer aircraft
for the Air Force and the Navy. We're taking a close look at the A-X, which
would succeed the recently canceled A-12. And, we hope that logic will prevail
and the F-t4D will remain in production.
In the meantime, we must match our work force to the work load and
keep Grumman focused on quality, eltieiency, and customer salistaction.
1 can't make the news better, but 1 promise you that we will give you
as much information as we can, as soon as we can and that all Grumman
people will be treated fairly.
//
Kcnso ('.tpiiiuli