The future remains uncertain for thousands of American Airlines employees living and working in South Florida, as it is still unclear whether they will be part of a big round of layoffs as the company goes through a massive reorganization to cut costs.
The planned 13,000 layoffs are especially bitter since American’s workforce gave up about 30 percent of their pay and benefits eight years ago to avoid the kind of bankruptcy the company filed in November.
“Right now, the mood is pretty devastating, one of shock, one of disappointment,” said purser Tim Burns.
“It only took them two years before they started getting their bonuses back, and we haven’t gotten any payback since then,” said Julie Moyer, of the American Airlines flight attendants’ union.
On the list of those to be laid off are 4,600 maintenance workers, 4,200 baggage handlers, 2,300 flight attendants, 1,400 managers and 400 pilots.
Those who keep their jobs will face doing more for less.
“They took away work rules, they took away pay, they took away vacation, the ability to call in sick and get paid for it,” Moyer said.
American has not pinpointed which cities will see cuts.
“Miami has always been the strongest-performing financially for the company,” Burns said.
South Florida is expected to fare better than other locations. Miami is American’s No. 1 international hub, and the reorganization plan includes increasing departures from Miami International Airport by 20 percent over the next five years.
America’s proposed cuts still must go through union negotiations.
“It appears it’s going to be quite a fight,” Burns said.