plus 1, Oshkosh to add up to 750 new jobs to fill military contracts - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Oshkosh to add up to 750 new jobs to fill military contracts - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 03:35 PM PST

Jan. 28, 2011 |

Bolstered by another huge military contract, Oshkosh Corp. said Friday it's adding 650 to 750 jobs to its already burgeoning workforce.

Hiring could begin as early as February for assemblers, welders and other skilled-trades positions.

In addition, there will be some salaried jobs, according to the specialty-vehicle maker that is awash in defense industry work stemming from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The latest hiring is part of the $3 billion U.S. Army contract that Oshkosh won in 2009 to build FMTVs (Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles).

The company expects to build more than 23,000 of the trucks and trailers in the next two years and is gearing up to produce nearly 40 a day. The effort is expected to employ several thousand people.

Thirteen thousand of the trucks will go to National Guard units for use at home and abroad. They will replace older vehicles, including some that have been in the fleet more than 40 years. The first of the vehicles was delivered earlier this month to the Wisconsin National Guard.

Under the contract, there is room for additional orders that could take months to fill.

"This is a tremendous boom for us and potential employees," said Oshkosh spokesman John Daggett.

"A lot of these vehicles will be built in 2012 and 2013," he said, adding that the company is doubling its production schedule.

The company expects to have job fairs, in Oshkosh, in February.

Hiring could take place fairly quickly and is tied specifically to the FMTV work that's just getting under way.

"After that, it all depends on what happens down the road," Daggett said.

Oshkosh currently has about 2,700 people making military vehicles and is ramping up for the new contract after winding down another Army contract valued at more than $1 billion.

A hiring blitz by the company in the fall of 2009 created 500 to 600 jobs. Production workers were recalled from layoff, and most salaried employees had their pay restored after taking 5% to 10% wage cuts earlier that year when business lagged.

About 2,500 people showed up for the Oshkosh job fairs in 2009.

As it gears up for the FMTV work, the company is spending $25 million to expand its manufacturing facilities. The job fairs, company officials said, will probably be in late February and could attract several thousand people from the Fox Valley and the Milwaukee area.

Details on when and where the fairs will take place will come soon, according to the company.

Large employers such as clothing maker OshKosh B'Gosh have eliminated hundreds of jobs in the Fox Valley, leaving a gaping hole in the region's economy.

The latest military contract will give the area a tremendous boost, said Jerry Murphy, executive director of New North Inc., a business development organization for Northeast Wisconsin.

During the recession, the region's technical colleges trained hundreds of people in the skilled trades.

The timing could not have been better, Murphy said, now that Oshkosh Corp. has hundreds of jobs and Marinette Marine, in Marinette, is hiring for a huge contract to build Navy combat ships.

"This is one of those weird times when, with that kind of demand, we will now have a cadre of people uniquely trained to walk right into a manufacturing environment," Murphy said. "It may be an ideal situation, unique in history."

The Oshkosh and Marinette defense contracts also will support hundreds of suppliers and other businesses.

"That supply chain stretches across Wisconsin," Murphy said. "It's one of those things where everyone can win."

Expansion for contracts

Oshkosh production workers are represented by the United Auto Workers.

Last summer, UAW Local 578 rejected a one-year contract extension that would have included a 3.5% pay increase and no increases in health insurance premiums. There were also incremental increases in pension and other fringe benefits.

The length of the extension was an issue as the union wanted more job security.

Also, the company had not addressed workplace issues, including family and medical leave, according to the union.

Union officials could not be reached for comment Friday about the FMTV contract.

Oshkosh has expanded its Wisconsin and Michigan facilities to handle defense contracts. Last fall, it was praised by the Pentagon for engaging in one of the most rapid military-truck production buildups since World War II.

The company is now the largest manufacturer in the Oshkosh area, with about 4.5% of the area's total workforce.

Yet some people worry that the good times could come to an end as the war in Iraq winds down and public support for the war in Afghanistan has waned.

Military programs are at risk of spending cuts by Congress and the Pentagon.

"Annual federal borrowing considerably exceeds the entire defense budget, the government's credit rating is waning, inflation is perking up, and no one is in the mood for massive tax increases," said James Hasik, a defense industry consultant from Austin, Texas.

"Thus, it's inconceivable that military spending won't be cut sharply, regardless of whatever hopes the industry might harbor," Hasik said.

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Inside the Phillies: Don't write off Brown for Phillies' right-field job - Philadelphia Daily News

Posted: 30 Jan 2011 07:04 AM PST

On July 28, Domonic Brown came to bat at Citizens Bank Park for the first time, and the sold-out crowd welcomed him with a standing ovation before the top prospect had done anything. Then he doubled high off the wall on the third pitch he saw in the majors.

After the game, inside the Phillies' clubhouse, his teammates gushed. On the table in the middle of the room were copies of the most recent edition of Baseball America, with Brown on the cover, anointed the best prospect in baseball.

"I think he can hit in the middle of the order," manager Charlie Manuel said in the minutes following Brown's debut. "It's just a matter of time."

Inexplicably, in the 186 days since then, Phillies executives, fans, talking heads, and writers (yours truly not excluded) have tried to knock Brown down a peg. It is this groupthink that has prevailed throughout the off-season: Brown isn't ready to be the everyday rightfielder.

And it's wrong. What, exactly, is this notion based on? After a spectacular minor-league season, Brown had 62 at-bats in the majors. Many were as a bench player, a role to which he was unaccustomed. He also suffered a strained right quadriceps that limited him in September.

He stuck around on the bench for the postseason and had three at-bats. Then he went to the Dominican Republic for winter ball. Brown left after nine disappointing games, hitting 2 for 29.

So 94 at-bats in 47 games from July 28 on prompted these declarations from some: He holds his bat too high, he can't hit lefthanded pitching, and he is not sharp enough defensively to play in the outfield.

Remember when Domonic Brown was the top prospect, the can't-miss hitter, the only guy the Phillies refused to include in their three trades for ace pitchers? For sure, Brown is a raw talent. But he has mastered the minor-league level; it's best if the seasoning comes in the majors as Jayson Werth's replacement.

Many of the critics take their cues from the man disseminating the information, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. But remember, Amaro has his own machinations - and he is entitled to them. Follow the progression of Amaro's comments on Brown.

Aug. 21: The Phillies had a few chances to send Brown back to triple A for regular playing time. But they did not. "It gives us the chance to have the best club out there," Amaro said.

Oct. 25: A few days after the season ended, when it was widely accepted that Brown was a lock to make the 2011 team, Amaro dissuaded reporters from the notion. "We have not given the job to Domonic Brown," he said.

Dec. 6: At the winter meetings, Amaro first floated the idea of Brown's beginning in the minors. "In a perfect world, we don't need Domonic to make our club, unless he shows us in spring training that he's ready to take that next step."

It was then that Amaro seriously talked of a platoon led by Ben Francisco, with Ross Gload and John Mayberry Jr. as possible options. Not to knock Francisco, but he would be a good fourth outfielder should Brown win the starting job, slotting in either left or right field against tough lefthanded pitchers.

A GM is charged with the task of managing expectations. No doubt he's done this with Brown in the off-season. Amaro knows what message he is sending.

So does Manuel.

"I'm not ready to send him to the minor leagues yet," the manager said in December.

Manuel plans to play Brown early and often in Grapefruit League games. Atlanta had a similar situation last spring with wunderkind Jason Heyward. He had 59 at-bats during the spring (fourth most on the Braves) and played his way into the opening-day lineup, eventually finishing second in rookie of the year voting.

Brown will have that same opportunity. Yes, he bats lefthanded and so do Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Raul Ibanez. But Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino are switch-hitters; Placido Polanco and Carlos Ruiz hit from the right side. Utley actually hit better against lefties in 2010 and has an identical .894 OPS against both sides for his career. There is enough balance.

The Phillies do not know what they have in Brown, but they have an idea. So don't act surprised if the rookie is starting in right field come April 1 at Citizens Bank Park.

Contact staff writer Matt Gelb

at 215-854-2928 or mgelb@phillynews.com. Follow on Twitter @magelb.