Proportion of Delta II and III workers still employed by ULA

[Vahe231991]

In your opinion, how many people who worked at McDonnell Douglas, Boeing, and ULA  on manufacturing components for the Delta II and Delta III rockets are still employed by ULA, given that the Delta II and Delta III were retired years ago and only two Delta IV Heavy launches are left (not to mention that the single-stick Delta IV variants were retired in 2019)?

[AmigaClone]

In your opinion, how many people who worked at McDonnell Douglas, Boeing, and ULA  on manufacturing components for the Delta II and Delta III rockets are still employed by ULA, given that the Delta II and Delta III were retired years ago and only two Delta IV Heavy launches are left (not to mention that the single-stick Delta IV variants were retired in 2019)?

Personally, I would be surprised if more than a handful of people who once worked on the Delta III are with ULA seeing as that rocket was retired more than 22 years ago.

It also would not surprise me to learn that over 30% of ULA's employees with experience working on a Delta II who were still at ULA six months after the Delta II was retired are still a part of ULA's workforce. Most would be involved in either the Atlas or Vulcan launch vehicles. 

[Jim]

In your opinion, how many people who worked at McDonnell Douglas, Boeing, and ULA  on  components for the Delta II and Delta III rockets are still employed by ULA, given that the Delta II and Delta III were retired years ago and only two Delta IV Heavy launches are left (not to mention that the single-stick Delta IV variants were retired in 2019)?

This is nonsense question because the answer is meaningless.   
0.  The change from McDonnell Douglas to Boeing was only a badge change.  No change in personnel.
1.  Delta III was canceled before ULA was formed
2.  Delta management was moved from Huntington Beach to the Denver area when ULA was formed.
3.  Delta II production was moved from Huntington Beach and Pueblo, CO to the Decatur area when ULA was formed.
4.  Atlas management was moved from San Diego to the Denver area when LM bought GD aerospace in the 90's
5.  Atlas production was moved from San Diego to the Denver area when LM bought GD aerospace in the 90's
6.  Atlas production was moved from Denver area to Decatur when ULA was formed.
7. Centaur tank production was moved from San Diego area to Decatur when ULA was formed.

Once ULA was formed, Atlas and Delta were only kept separate at the program office level.   Employees and groups with the same jobs/tasks (structural analysts, thermal analyst, electrical engineers, etc) were combined.  Production technicians groups were combine.   Launch site pooled employees and most worked both systems.

There was some launch site employees that retired with the last east coast Delta II launch but most stayed with ULA because they could work the other vehicles.

So as far as the percent of who worked on Delta production at McDonnell Douglas and Boeing and still are with ULA is likely higher than percent of who worked on Atlas production at GD and LM and still are with ULA because Atlas moved twice and ended up at the Delta IV factory.

[Jim]

In summary, there are just as many former Delta employees as there are Atlas remaining.   The fly out of Delta had no bearing on it.
When ULA was formed, LM was dealing with the end of Classic Atlas and Titan IV.  Boeing still had Delta II and Delta IV.  And there was around 30 Delta IIs to fly out.  So the Boeing side of ULA was likely larger than LM at the beginning.

[Vahe231991]

In your opinion, how many people who worked at McDonnell Douglas, Boeing, and ULA  on  components for the Delta II and Delta III rockets are still employed by ULA, given that the Delta II and Delta III were retired years ago and only two Delta IV Heavy launches are left (not to mention that the single-stick Delta IV variants were retired in 2019)?

This is nonsense question because the answer is meaningless.   
0.  The change from McDonnell Douglas to Boeing was only a badge change.  No change in personnel.
1.  Delta III was canceled before ULA was formed
2.  Delta management was moved from Huntington Beach to the Denver area when ULA was formed.
3.  Delta II production was moved from Huntington Beach and Pueblo, CO to the Decatur area when ULA was formed.
4.  Atlas management was moved from San Diego to the Denver area when LM bought GD aerospace in the 90's
5.  Atlas production was moved from San Diego to the Denver area when LM bought GD aerospace in the 90's
6.  Atlas production was moved from Denver area to Decatur when ULA was formed.
7. Centaur tank production was moved from San Diego area to Decatur when ULA was formed.

Once ULA was formed, Atlas and Delta were only kept separate at the program office level.   Employees and groups with the same jobs/tasks (structural analysts, thermal analyst, electrical engineers, etc) were combined.  Production technicians groups were combine.   Launch site pooled employees and most worked both systems.

There was some launch site employees that retired with the last east coast Delta II launch but most stayed with ULA because they could work the other vehicles.

So as far as the percent of who worked on Delta production at McDonnell Douglas and Boeing and still are with ULA is likely higher than percent of who worked on Atlas production at GD and LM and still are with ULA because Atlas moved twice and ended up at the Delta IV factory.

To partly rephrase my question, since I'm aware that the last launch of the Delta III program occurred six years before ULA was formed, I meant to weigh in on your opinion on what proportion of former employees for the Delta III program were transferred to the Atlas V and Delta II programs prior to ULA's formation but also are still employed by ULA.

[Jim]

To partly rephrase my question, since I'm aware that the last launch of the Delta III program occurred six years before ULA was formed, I meant to weigh in on your opinion on what proportion of former employees for the Delta III program were transferred to the Atlas V and Delta II programs prior to ULA's formation but also are still employed by ULA.

The Delta II and Delta III employees were one in the same, they were the same crew.
Also, there were no transfers to Atlas.


How about this?  Since the late 2000's to early 2010's, there were no longer Atlas and Delta workers.  They had launch teams but they were made from both groups of workers. 

Delta II really ended 12 years ago and there has been attrition since then.   It likely was no different than if Delta II was still operating.   But I know many Delta II workers still employed by ULA.