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Akron Mayor Blasts Lockheed Martin's Decision To Close Local Plant

Maryland-based defense contractor Lockheed Martin is eliminating 4 thousand jobs, or 3.5 percent of its workforce. The firm says it will close plants and cut 2 thousand jobs in Ohio and five other states by mid-2015. Another 2 thousand positions will be cut in its information, global solutions, mission system and training and space system units by the end of 2014. The closings include a factory in Akron that employs nearly 500 workers. The company says it needs to cut costs due to reduced federal defense spending. Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic blames the moves on partisan politics.

Plusquellic says local, state and federal officials lobbied hard to keep the plant open.

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Lockheed says it'll keep a handful of employees in Akron, and try to find transfer opportunities for laid off workers.

Jim has been with WCBE since 1996. Before that he worked as a reporter at another Columbus radio station, and for three newspapers in Southwest Florida.