GKN Aerospace plans to cut 300 jobs from a St. Louis factory and move them to Alabama, igniting protest from union officials.

The maker of parts for military fighter jets has 314 mechanics and 18 still on layoff from last February in St. Louis, according to AL.com. Alabama is a right-to-work state where unions hold less sway.

"In true corporate fashion, GKN has decided to turn its back on middle-class workers in an attempt to turn a few extra bucks on the backs of other workers who don't have a union and a means to demand fair wages and a safe work environment," Stephen McDerman, a representative for the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers, District 817, told the newspaper.

“When you ask who is destroying American manufacturing? It's companies like GKN and the likes, whose collective actions are impoverishing our entire country as we speak," he said.

GKN, which is headquartered in the United Kingdom, confirmed that the St. Louis plant will be closed, but didn’t provide an exact date, according to The Alton Telegraph.

GKN's Tallassee, Alabama, facility has been in operation since 1985 and employs more than 1,000 people, AL.com reported.