Posted 1:13 am Saturday, May 26, 2012
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American Eagle Cutting 100 Jobs; Layoffs Not Expected To Affect Tyler
From Staff and Wire Reports
FORT WORTH — American Eagle, which operates short-haul flights for American Airlines, said it’s cutting about 100 management and support jobs as it pares costs during a bankruptcy reorganization, but Tyler officials don’t believe the layoffs will affect local workers.
The regional airline plans to save $7 million a year with the layoffs, which would trim nonunion management and support staff by about 10 percent, including about 15 percent of executive officers.
FORT WORTH — American Eagle, which operates short-haul flights for American Airlines, said it’s cutting about 100 management and support jobs as it pares costs during a bankruptcy reorganization, but Tyler officials don’t believe the layoffs will affect local workers.
The regional airline plans to save $7 million a year with the layoffs, which would trim nonunion management and support staff by about 10 percent, including about 15 percent of executive officers.
The layoffs will reportedly not affect employees at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport.
“We have not heard any negative impacts in Tyler,” Airport Manager Davis Dickson said. “Actually we have seen growth with American (Eagle) in Tyler.”
He said they have expanded operations by hiring more employees this month and are contracting with United Airlines to perform ground handling.
Daniel Garton, Eagle’s president and CEO, told employees of the cuts in an internal memo.
A spokesman said this week the 10 percent equaled about 100 jobs. The company announced in March that it planned to shed 500 to 600 union and nonunion jobs, some by attrition.
“We have not heard any negative impacts in Tyler,” Airport Manager Davis Dickson said. “Actually we have seen growth with American (Eagle) in Tyler.”
He said they have expanded operations by hiring more employees this month and are contracting with United Airlines to perform ground handling.
Daniel Garton, Eagle’s president and CEO, told employees of the cuts in an internal memo.
A spokesman said this week the 10 percent equaled about 100 jobs. The company announced in March that it planned to shed 500 to 600 union and nonunion jobs, some by attrition.
Eagle and American are owned by AMR Corp., and all three filed for bankruptcy protection in November.
Eagle, which has about 14,000 workers compared with 73,000 at American, wants to cut annual labor costs by $75 million, with more than two-thirds coming from union pilots and flight attendants. Eagle has been negotiating concessions with its unions since March 21.
In his memo, Garton said most of the reduction in management and support jobs would take place immediately while others would take several months. Eagle’s top safety official, Ed Criner, and Vice President of Airport Services Dave Brown are retiring, and Chief Operating Officer Fred Cleveland will oversee safety issues, he said.
Before filing for bankruptcy protection, AMR had planned to sell or spin off Eagle. Those plans were put on hold.
Eagle, which has about 14,000 workers compared with 73,000 at American, wants to cut annual labor costs by $75 million, with more than two-thirds coming from union pilots and flight attendants. Eagle has been negotiating concessions with its unions since March 21.
In his memo, Garton said most of the reduction in management and support jobs would take place immediately while others would take several months. Eagle’s top safety official, Ed Criner, and Vice President of Airport Services Dave Brown are retiring, and Chief Operating Officer Fred Cleveland will oversee safety issues, he said.
Before filing for bankruptcy protection, AMR had planned to sell or spin off Eagle. Those plans were put on hold.
