Chief Steward Chris Inez, left, and Local 344 President John Hoggatt at the final summer picnic held for lodge members employed by Arcturus Manufacturing.
A sad end to a unique facility
On August 4, Arcturus Manufacturing of Oxnard, California, whose workforce is part of Local Lodge 344, will cease to exist. PCC, who owns this plant, decided to close the doors and move the work elsewhere. The company has been in existence since 1937 and has unique forging capabilities.
The workforce has made many items in support of the military for projects such as the F18 Hornet, JSF F35 and F22 Raptor. It also manufactured the spheres for the Space Shuttle fuel tanks. It has won many awards from customers like Boeing, Lockheed Martin and NASA, to name a few.
It is reported to have the only 50,000-pound hammer west of the Mississippi. You can see a YouTube video (www.youtube.com; search for Arcturus Manufacturing), which makes the plant closure even more strange. Some of our brothers have worked at the plant for more than 35 years, with many others between 20 to 30 years. It will be extremely tough on these individuals when the doors close. They have given their working lives to this plant. There are not many other similar work opportunities in this area of California, so re-employment is going to be tough.
Last weekend, the Local held the final summer picnic for the workforce. Many stories were shared, and I am sure many tears will be shed at the closing of the site.
Wishing all our brothers and their families good luck and good health.
John Hoggatt, President
Local 344
Ridgecrest, California
