American Airlines to lay off thousands

NEW YORK - Agence France-Presse

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American Airlines said Wednesday it needed to cut costs by 20 percent to stay afloat, as it met with union representatives to detail a plan for layoffs that reports said would total 13,000 workers.

“All workgroups will have total costs reduced by 20 percent, including management,” Tom Horton, chief executive of American parent AMR Corporation, said in a letter to employees Wednesday. “While the savings from each work group will be achieved somewhat differently, each will experience the same percentage reduction.”

Cuts of 13,000 workers, reported by several media outlets following the management-union meeting, would amount to about 15 percent of the company’s workforce.

Profit sharing plan

“Our major competitors have used the restructuring process to overhaul their companies and become more competitive in every aspect of their business,” Horton said. “Now it is time for American to move forward on a decisive path. We are going to use the restructuring process to make the necessary changes to meet our challenges head on and capitalize fully on the solid foundation we’ve put in place.”
He said the airline needed to cut $1.25 billion a year in employee-related costs.

In exchange, he offered employees a profit sharing plan that would pay out 15 percent of all pre-tax income.