| Updated: 6/06/2012 2:54 pm |
Published: 6/04/2012 7:36 pm
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FOX23 learned through employees at Tulsa's American Airlines' maintenance base that six upper level managers were laid off Monday. There could be further management layoffs on Wednesday.
No union positions were eliminated Monday, but Transport Workers Union leaders in Tulsa say they expect a wider reaching layoff announcement on Wednesday.
AA officials tell FOX23 no line workers will be let go at this point. Right now, the company is working on the management restructuring that began in December. Company-wide 1400 management support staff will be let go, these layoffs have gone through four levels of management tiers.
AA officials released this statement about the resturcturing: “Our management structure continues to evolve and progress with every phase of the redesign,” said Denise Lynn, Senior Vice President – People. “The need to reduce positions, and the impact this has on people, in this layer and throughout the process is difficult, without a doubt. Despite these changes, I’m pleased that we have taken advantage of the shifting structure to provide opportunities for our people where possible. The leaders announced today are a strong reflection of the future of our airline, and I’m encouraged to see the new management team continue to take shape.”
The company is required to notify line workers of layoffs by sending them a 'WARN notice' 45 to 60 days prior to the layoffs. The WARN letter stands for Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification act.
Everyone will be sent a notice, but not everyone would be laid off. Officials say AA cannot layoff line workers until an agreement is reached in court and the work has been outsourced to prevent a stop in maintenance work.
American's parent company is trying to emerge from Ch. 11 bankruptcy.
Last month TWU workers rejected the company's "last best offer" for restructuring, putting 1,300 union employees at risk for layoffs.
The next phase of changes is expected to be made in mid-July.
