American Airlines Union Urges Workers To Vote

The American Airlines bankruptcy case has been quite turbulent in the last few months. With talks of massive layoffs, huge cuts to employee pensions and benefits, many employees are feeling pessimistic about the future of their jobs at American. Although Dallas-Fort Worth stands to lose quite a bit if American does not successfully resolve their debts in bankruptcy, other airline hubs around the country could also be significantly impacted.

Tulsa Makes A Strategic Move

The American Airlines workers union in Tulsa, Oklahoma has become increasingly concerned about the potential for significant job loss in recent weeks. The Tulsa branch of the Transport Workers Union issued a statement this week urging employees to vote on a job saving proposal. After American Airline executives presented their “best and final offer” to the union last week, employees have yet to vote about whether they will accept or reject the proposed conditions.

The proposal promises to reduce the number of planned layoffs and implement a pay raise of 7.5 percent for TWU members. While these conditions appear favorable, Tulsa employees could still face their own round of layoffs and veteran employees from the Forth Worth facility relocate. Further, the company still made no mention of the fate of many maintenance and ground staff jobs, which are likely to be outsourced if the deal goes through. Despite the cloudy future, the TWU is urging employees to vote ‘yes’ to the proposal in order to save over 2,500 local jobs.