GREENSBURG, Pa. -- Dozens of blind workers are facing layoffs after the military pulled the plug on a contract with a Westmoreland County workshop.

Inside the Greensburg facility, Westmoreland County Blind Association employees work to turn pieces of cloth into military bags that soldiers use to put boots and chemical gear inside.

Production of the bags was part of a $5.4 million contract that was supposed to keep workers busy manufacturing 5,000 per month during a three-year span.

Last week, the association learned that the military had suspended the contract due to a surplus of bags.

The move came a little more than a year into the three-year deal.

One-third of the production staff -- 25 employees -- will be let go this week.

About half of those being let go are blind, including Lacella Colquitt, who was born legally blind.

"I really do think it's bad time being Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up, and, actually, it's last-minute notice. Usually you get a couple weeks to prepare for it. Unfortunately, we just had a couple days to prepare for it," said Colquitt, of Edgewood.

Dwayne Christy was blinded by tumors on his optic nerves and works at the facility by putting buckles on the bags.

Once the last of them are attached, he'll have to be retrained to do a new job so he can continue to receive a paycheck.

Many of Christy's co-workers won't be so lucky.

"The people you get to meet here, that work here that aren't gone, you kind of miss already even though some of them have only been gone a day. They became like part of the family. When you lose a family member it kind of hurts," said Christy, of Clairton.

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