Texas employers are cutting over 1,400 jobs, with the axe falling heavily in D-FW

Nine Texas employers are eliminating over 1,400 jobs across the state through plant closings, post-sale workforce reductions and halted projects, according to layoff notices filed with the Texas Workforce Commission.

The layoffs include nearly 1,000 in Dallas-Fort Worth from some of the region’s biggest names. The job cut totals come from WARN notices filed with TWC. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act, passed by Congress in 1988, requires businesses with over 100 full-time workers to provide at least 60 days advance notice when laying off 50 people or more at a single employment site.

The biggest single job loss in the newest round of notices is 351 in Austin, where management and technology consulting firm Accenture is undergoing a third wave of cuts this year.

Here are the companies cutting jobs:

Reata Pharmaceuticals

Only weeks after Massachusetts-based Biogen Inc. closed its $7.3 billion purchase of the Plano-based biopharmaceutical company, it’s planning to lay off 113 Reata employees in the company’s Legacy Drive office from Nov. 27 through Jan. 31.

The job cuts affect “roles where there are existing synergies at Biogen,” a spokesperson told trade publication Endpoint News in an emailed statement. Biogen said Reata employees who worked closely on the company’s newly approved Skyclarys drug are not in danger of losing their jobs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the drug to treat Friedreich’s ataxia, a rare neuromuscular disease.

“We are retaining those colleagues who have been essential to the launch of Skyclarys to ensure there are no disruptions for patients,” the Biogen spokesperson said.

Shortly before the Reata acquisition, Biogen announced an 11% reduction of its workforce by 2024 as part of a cost-cutting program the company calls “Fit For Growth.” It’s a move Biogen expects will save the company $1 billion in operating expenses by 2025.

L3Harris Technologies

L3Harris Technologies, a Melbourne, Fla.-based aerospace and defense technology company with a big North Texas presence, is cutting 268 jobs at its facility in Rockwall between Nov. 30 and Dec. 13. The layoff includes 87 workers classified as pilots. The company’s letter to the state said it is reducing one of its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance programs known as “Java Man.”

Most of the employees work remotely overseas and don’t live in Texas, according to the company. In August, L3Harris laid off 100 engineers at its Greenville and Plano facilities. The Greenville facility is considered to be one of Northeast Texas’ largest manufacturing employers, with over 5,000 employees still remaining.

The company, formed through a $33.5 billion merger of L3 Technologies and Harris Corp. in 2019, was also considering selling its avionics unit in July in a deal that could have scooped $1 billion for L3Harris. Talks have since gone quiet on the deal.

Fluor

The Irving-based engineering and construction company is ending construction at a Corpus Christi plastics plant and cutting 66 jobs. Fluor’s letter said the company was told by Corpus Christi Polymers to terminate its activities by Nov. 10.

Corpus Christi Polymers bought the partially constructed plant for $1.1 billion when M&G USA Corp. filed for bankruptcy in 2017. Late last month, the company said it was pausing construction to consider how to move forward with the project. It cited a labor shortage and increasing interest rates.

American Medical Response

The Greenwood Village, Col.-based subsidiary of Global Medical Response is closing its Fort Worth office, putting 156 paramedics and nurses out of work. Some have been laid off already while others will be let go at the end of the year.

American Medical Response, a private ambulance company, became a subsidiary of GMR in 2018. Since then, the company has gone through restructuring to reduce $5.4 billion worth of debt. AMR also closed its Akron, Ohio, facility in August, cutting 50 employees there.

Raytheon

Aerospace and defense giant RTX is laying off 38 workers when it closes its Dallas plant on Lemmon Avenue, according to its letter to TWC, citing a “decline in anticipated business and budgetary constraints.” The layoffs are expected to begin Nov. 10.

“RTX is committed to meeting our customer commitments at the Lemmon Avenue facility and continues to invest in the North Texas region given the area’s significant growth,” the company said in an emailed response to The Dallas Morning News in September, when it announced 27 layoffs at the plant. “We are working to absorb much of the talent currently at the Lemmon Avenue facility across our many sites in the North Texas region.”

The company formerly known as Raytheon Technologies is consolidating four business units into three.

Mittera Group

Mittera Group Inc., a printing and marketing services company, is closing its Carrollton facility and terminating 136 workers. The company’s letter to the state didn’t provide a reason for the closing. It said layoffs will start Dec. 9.

Mittera is considered one of the printing industry’s most active acquirers, closing its 20th deal this summer. Earlier this year, the Des Moines, Iowa-based company was looking to recruit workers in Pennsylvania when LSC Communications laid off 656 employees when it closed two plants.

Parker Hannifin

Parker Hannifin Corp.’s HVAC Division is permanently closing its Mesquite plant and releasing 76 employees, according to its letter. Layoffs will begin Dec. 2 and the plant will close Jan. 31, 2024.

“We regret the impact that this difficult, but necessary business decision will have on our employees and the community,” the company said in the letter. “This plant closing is not a reflection on the skill or the effort of our employees. This closing is strictly a business decision based on the competitive nature of the air filtration marketplace.”

The Cleveland-based maker of motion and control technologies just wrapped up a record fiscal year, with revenue rising 20% to $19.1 billion.

Other Texas layoffs included:

Invista

Wichita, Kan.-based polymers and fiber producer Invista is closing its Orange production facility by the end of 2024 and cutting 239 employees, according to its letter. It plans to stagger its layoffs in stages this year and next.

“Unfortunately, lower than anticipated growth and an increase in global supply led to this difficult decision,” Invista President and CEO Francis Murphy said in a statement. “Ultimately, this decision was made to position our business to more competitively serve the long-term needs of our customers.”

Accenture LLP

Accenture’s Austin office will see a third wave of layoffs this year, with 351 jobs on the chopping block in December. The management consulting and technology company earlier reduced its Austin workforce in May and June.

Accenture is one of Austin’s largest technology employers and the company’s footprint in Texas includes offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. The company had close to 6,000 jobs in Austin earlier this year, according to the Austin Chamber of Commerce.

In March, Accenture said it planned to cut 19,000 employees globally to streamline operations and reduce costs. It finished fiscal 2023 with $64.1 billion in revenue, up 8% from the previous year. The layoffs come as the company is embarking on a $3 billion investment in artificial intelligence to support its clients across industries.

“From time to time, we adjust our workforce on ongoing projects to meet the needs of our clients. We are fully committed to supporting our people through this transition,” a company spokesperson said.