American Airlines Group and United Airlines Holdings will start laying off thousands of employees as scheduled, spurning Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s appeal for a delay as he negotiates with Congress over an economic relief plan that includes payroll support for US carriers.
Both airlines vowed to reverse the cuts if the government agrees to provide additional aid in the next few days, according to memos to workers issued late Wednesday by the carriers. The furloughs total 19,000 at American and about 13,000 at United.
The job cuts ramp up the pressure on Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as they haggle over an economic relief plan, with Democrats calling for $2.2 trillion and the White House pushing for about $1.6 trillion.
