Although Regional Elite Airline Services told Minnesota state officials a month ago that 646 employees could be losing their jobs, the services the company provides were out for bid, and the workers have been offered positions with a newly-contracted Delta Air Lines subsidiary, a Delta spokeswoman said.
Regional Elite provides ground support services at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for regional airlines that partner with Delta, the airport's dominant carrier. Regional Elite filed a WARN notice with the state on Sept. 7, related to 646 pending layoffs. WARN -- or the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act -- provides state agencies with advance notice of pending layoffs.
But the WARN notice was tied to the bidding process with Delta. The bid was won by Delta Global Services, a Delta subsidiary, and the transfer of operations to the new firm is expected to take place on Nov. 13, said Kristin Bauer, a Delta spokeswoman.
Similar WARN notices were filed at other airports nationally where Regional Elite provides ground support services to Delta.
-- John Welbes
Copyright 2012 - Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
