President Trump’s signing of the latest COVID-19 pandemic relief bill might mean the Southwest Airlines Call Center in Oklahoma City will not see furloughs in March as the company announced in early December.
The airline announced Sunday night in a letter to employees that it will drop wage cut demands and also revoke furlough notices after the $900 billion economic stimulus bill was signed. The bill included $15 billion in aid for airlines and will require them to protect jobs and wages through March 31, 2021.
In the letter, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said the Dallas-based company will not likely need to force any employee layoffs or furloughs for the remainder of 2021.
Southwest announced in early December that at least 41 workers its Oklahoma City Call Center would be furloughed for up to six months beginning March 15, 2021. It said a “mass furlough” was necessary because of billions of dollars lost in the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in reduce travel.
At the time, Southwest had slashed 2020 cash outlays and spending by nearly $8 billion and suffered a 70% revenue loss in the third quarter of the year.
Now Oklahoma City workers at others at Southwest Airlines facilities won’t face a loss of their jobs.
“As I’ve been saying for months, this was always our preferred plan, and it means we can stop the movement toward furloughs and pay cuts that we previously announced,” Kelly said in the letter to workers. “Given this, we currently do not anticipate the need to conduct any furloughs or pay cuts next year.”
Source: Dallas Morning News
