BARTLESVILLE, Okla — Almost a year after more than one hundred jobs were cut from the Phillips 66 regional base in Bartlesville, the oil & gas giant announced it's laying off more workers.
A release said "fewer than 1%" of the company's employees worldwide are affected.
With the corporation having deep ties to Bartlesville, retired employee Kevin Sparks told 2 News he would like to know how this will affect the many families made possible by the employment at its facilities.
- Related >>> Bartlesville residents concerned over Phillips 66 layoff announcement
"The housing market goes up and the housing market goes down. So these two companies here in town have significant effect on housing, industry, and business in general," Sparks said.
- Previous coverage >>> Phillips 66 to layoff around 100 Bartlesville employees after 'transitional period'
The impact reaches beyond employment. Lisa King said the company and its local workers help raise funds for Blue Star Mothers of America's local chapter.
"It is good to have them here," King said. "I think they are a good part of the community, and they do help a lot of organizations."
Out of all its Bartlesville buildings, Phillips 66 employs about 1,300 people, a spokesman said.
Its main office downtown deferred to emailing its corporate headquarters in Houston (which used to be in Bartlesville) for more info on this week's announcement.
2 News asked which jobs are going away here compared to other locations, how many in total, and why layoffs were necessary following a strong fiscal quarter for the petroleum giant.
A spokesman sent back only a general statement:
"Phillips 66 continues to look to ways to position our organization to help advance its strategic priorities and enable more efficient ways of working. As a result, some positions are being eliminated. Total reductions amount to fewer than one percent of our employee count company wide. We understand what this means for affected employees and are committed to treating them fairly and respectfully. Bartlesville, like various other locations, were impacted by these changes."
Bartlesville Development Authority's Chris Batchelder suggested the news should be taken with a grain of salt.
"Our hope for Bartlesville is that that number (of layoffs) is minimal," Batchelder told 2 News. "And frankly, they can make an announcement next week that they're adding jobs to Bartlesville."
Batchelder added the city still has a big future in town, and that BDA speaks with the company often.
Sparks, who spent 22 years with Phillips 66 and now runs events for DJ's Southern Snow, is optimistic the company could add some jobs back in the near future.
"There's ups and downs. I mean, more than once," Sparks said. "Probably half a dozen times in those 22 years, so it's pretty common."
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