United Airlines said yesterday that it had notified about 14,000 of its employees that they could be fired. This announcement comes as the aviation unions renew requests for additional financial support from the government.
Another round of support needed
United warned that the second round of payroll support ends in early April. Therefore, carriers can be forced to make significant cuts as the pandemic continues to shake the aviation industry. Reuters reports that the unions asked Congress and President Joe Biden for another $ 15 billion in support to keep employees on payroll until at least September 30.
Global restrictions in the midst of the health crisis continue to keep passengers on the ground. It is considerably difficult for potential passengers to catch air due to extensive measures, such as travel bans in progress and long quarantines. In addition, the general social climate has changed demand over the past year.
United had to make tough decisions when the first payroll support package expired in the fall. However, the Chicago-based carrier withdrew 13,000 members of its license team when a $ 15 billion package for the airline industry was approved in December, which protected jobs until March.
Demand still low
However, United told employees that despite continued efforts to distribute vaccines, passenger demand has not changed much. Altogether, it is monitoring demand and pushing for continued government support.
“The federal extended payroll support program for airlines has enabled United to welcome thousands of coworkers back this winter, providing an important boost for them and our airline. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have worked hard to stay ahead of the devastating impact of COVID on our business, but, unfortunately, the crisis is not over ”. forsaid the art of United’s memo, shared by a United spokesman.
“Despite ongoing efforts to distribute vaccines, customer demand has not changed much since we called these employees back. When the recalls began, United said that most of the retired employees would return to their previous status as a result of autumn leave around April 1. As such, revoked employees in states where WARN can be sued are receiving notifications about this today.
The spokesman noted that last July, United had to issue 36,000 WARN notifications. However, on October 1, its number of licenses dropped to 13,000. The company is working once again to reduce the number of licenses through a series of options
Two union leaders representing 75,000 flight attendants wrote to Congress leaders. They called for swift action to extend the $ 15 billion payroll support program to protect positions until September 30 or later. Sara Nelson, of the Flight Attendants Association, and Julie Hedrick, of the Flight Attendants Association, added that there would be massive layoffs starting in April if there was no further assistance.
The challenges remain
Conditions remain difficult in the aviation industry. United mentioned that the launch of the vaccine has not changed demand very much, but it is still the beginning of the program.
After many additional members of the public receive the vaccine, there will be a shift in the impact of the pandemic across the board. However, the process will take time, and we may not see a noticeable positive result from the vaccine for many months. Therefore, until then, airlines, employees and unions will continue to keep an eye on the situation.
What do you think of United Airlines’ license notices for your employees? Do you think this change would be inevitable, given the circumstances? Let us know what you think of the situation in the comments section.