Some 400 workers at the American Airlines maintenance center in Tulsa could be among 13,000 company-wide to get furloughs in the coming days and weeks.
The number of 400 was reported in Tulsa and also by the Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development.
American Airlines based in Fort Worth, Texas announced earlier this month that the 13,000 employees were at risk of furlough when a U.S. aid package for airline workers expires April 1.
“….unfortunately, we find ourselves in a situation similar to much of 2020,” Chief Executive Doug Parker and President Robert Isom said in a memo to employees last week.
Some 19,000 workers were furloughed last October when an earlier round of government payroll support ended. But they were recalled after another $15 billion in aid was approved for the airline industry. However, it lasts only through March.
Nearly a year ago this month, American Airlines announced plans to invest $550 million at the Base Maintenance Facility in Tulsa known as Tech Ops-Tulsa. It is the airlines biggest base maintenance operation and at the time employed 5,500 workers, including 600 added in 2019.
The airline said at the time, “This investment underscores American’s long-term commitment to the Tech Ops – Tulsa team, State of Oklahoma and City of Tulsa by making improvements to ensure success.”
That was before the powerful arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.