SCHUMER, IN A PERSONAL CALL WITH HARRIS CORP. CEO, PUSHES FOR AND SECURES COMMITMENT THAT NO JOBS WILL BE CUT IN ROCHESTER DURING MERGER WITH L3 TECHNOLOGIES; SAYS MERGER COULD EXPAND HARRIS’S WORKFORCE IN ROCHESTER
Schumer Today Called Harris Corporation CEO William Brown After Receiving Word That Harris Will Be Merging With L3 Technologies; Harris Corporation Currently Employs Over 3,700 People In Rochester
Schumer Received Assurances That The Merger Would Not Result In Any Rochester Job Cuts, And Said That It Could Strengthen The Rochester Workforce
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today spoke with Harris Corporation CEO William Brown over the phone following news that Harris Corp. will be merging with L3 Technologies, Inc. During the call, Schumer pushed for and received assurances that Rochester’s Harris Corporation workforce would not be reduced due to the merger with L3. In fact, according to Schumer, the merger has the potential to bring additional jobs to Rochester and strengthen the regional economy. Currently, Harris Corp. has over 3,700 employees working out of Communications Systems and Space and Intelligence Systems facilities in Rochester.
"I spoke with Harris Corp. CEO Bill Brown today, and received assurances that Harris will not cut jobs in Rochester as a result of the company’s merger with L3 Technologies. In fact, I am optimistic that the merger could expand Harris’s world-class workforce in Rochester over the next several years,” said Senator Schumer. “Harris Corp. has proven time and time again that they are committed to Rochester as their home base to make superior radios, geospatial, and intelligence systems for the U.S. military and our allies across the world, and I look forward to continue working hand-in-hand with this first-rate company to strengthen the Rochester economy.”
Schumer has long fought to keep Harris Corp. and its local subsidiary in Rochester. Last month Schumer announced that following his push with the Army for a fair and equitable procurement process, Harris Corp successfully competed and was named by the Army as one of two contractors for a new contract worth up to $3.9 billion to produce the Army’s new two-channel “Leader” radio. In a 2017 meeting with U.S. Secretary of the Army Dr. Mark Esper, Schumer urged him to continue the Army’s support of Harris Corp. In August of that year, Schumer announced a $12 million contract with the United States Army. Additionally, Schumer has long advocated for Harris during the Congressional appropriations process and by pressing the Department of Defense to ensure producers like Harris have an even playing field to compete for the Joint Tactical Radio System contracts.
In June 2017, Schumer announced that Harris was awarded a contract worth $255 million through the U.S. Special Operations Command: The contract would be used to manufacture two-channel manpack radios for the Special Operations Forces Units and for foreign partners. Schumer visited Rochester in March 2016 to announce a major push to secure new federal investment opportunities. In addition, in June of 2016, Schumer announced that Harris had received a $1.7 billion contract to manufacture radios from Harris’s RE-7800 family of tactical radios. In 2015, Schumer helped Harris bring a new SINCGARS Radio Manufacturing Line to Rochester. The “SINCGARS” manufacturing line was officially installed at the Jefferson Road facility in Rochester in 2016.
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