The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), the largest defense and aerospace union in the United States, has called on Texas U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, as well as Representatives Michael Cloud and Vincente Gonzalez, to intervene in plans to cut nearly 900 jobs at the Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD).
According to IAM, about 200 civilian defense contractors it represents at CCAD have been notified that their positions will end on September 30, 2025. Additionally, roughly 200 of the depot’s 2,300 federal employees—also represented by IAM—are among the 600 federal positions set for elimination. Further reductions could follow.
“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.”
IAM highlighted that CCAD contributes over $1.6 billion each year to the local economy by supporting thousands of jobs in southern Texas. The union cautioned that proposed layoffs would not only reduce essential defense capability but also negatively affect local businesses and neighborhoods.
IAM has urged Texas lawmakers to push for a reversal of these downsizing plans by asking the Department of Defense and U.S. Army to protect both CCAD’s mission and its role in regional economic stability.
The IAM represents approximately 600,000 active and retired members across various sectors including aerospace, defense, airlines, shipbuilding, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive industries throughout North America.