Spokesman Says Less Than Half Of Those Likely To Actually Be Let Go

American Airlines has reportedly sent layoff notices to some 11,000 employees, though the company says it does not expect that many will actually lose their jobs.

The Associated Press reports that the affected workers are mostly mechanics and ground workers with the airline. AMR Corp is currently working its way through bankruptcy proceedings. American Spokesman Bruce Hicks said that the actual number of layoffs will likely be about 4,400, or about 40 percent of those who received the notices. He said that the company is required by federal law to notify anyone who could possibly see a change in their employment status, including those who might be displaced by more senior employees who have their jobs outsourced or eliminated.

Most of the affected employees are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, as well as Tulsa, OK, Miami, FL, and Chicago, IL. Transport Workers Union spokesman Jamie Horwitz said that "we knew this day was coming - we've been able to lessen the pain."

The airline is still in negotiations with its pilots, who criticized the company for "paying lip service" to contract talks while hiding behind the bankruptcy to get larger concessions from its pilots.

Pilots plan a strike authorization vote, and are reportedly participating in a "sickout" which has led to an increase in flight cancellations. That move has led a columnist for the Wall Street Journal to tell his readers to not book with American this fall. Columnist Scott McCarthy wrote that the pilots are "reacting angrily and hurting passengers. The pilot's union denies any orchestrated action and blames management for operational problems." He said the tactic is not new among pilots' unions.

APA spokesman Tom Hoban said that the sickout has not been sanctioned by the union, nor does it support the action, according to the AP. But added that "to say the pilots are unhappy would be the understatement of a lifetime."

FMI: www.aa.com, www.alliedpilots.org