A major U.S. defense contractor is expected to furlough 3,000 of its employees if the government shutdown continues.
Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn A. Hewson said in a memo on Friday that affected employees were to use vacation time and floating holidays. Employees without sufficient vacation time will be given up to a week’s worth of pay, according to The Washington Post.
“If the shutdown extends beyond available vacation time, employees will be transitioned to unpaid furlough leave,” said Hewson.
Hewson warned that she expected the situation to worsen if the shutdown continues due to “contractual actions and the impact of furloughs among DCMA and other customer inspectors.”
The DCMA, or Defense Contract Management Agency, inspects the manufacturing process for federal contractors.
“Without these inspectors, the manufacturing process must stop,” the Aerospace Industries Association, an industry group, warned in a statement on Friday.
Lockheed currently employs roughly 120,000 people.