Alaska Airlines Lays Off These Boise Workers as Part of Nationwide Round of Cuts

Nearly a third of the workers laid off or given furlough notices last week by Alaska Airlines worked at the company’s Boise call center.

The Seattle carrier cut 446 positions, including 147 reservations sales agents at the call center at 1399 S. Eagle Flight Way, near Overland and Maple Grove roads.

“We currently anticipate these separations will be permanent,” Jenny Wetzel, Alaska’s vice president for labor relations, wrote in a letter announcing the layoffs sent to the Idaho Department of Labor, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean and Ada County Commissioner Kendra Kenyon.

Generally, when companies with 100 or more workers shut down or have mass layoffs, they must file a WARN notice under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.

Besides Boise, Alaska Airlines operates two other call centers, in Phoenix and Kent, Washington. Workers at those centers were not affected.

Alaska announced in June it would begin cutting 3,000 jobs from its workforce of 23,000 beginning at the end of September. The cuts come as Alaska Airlines and other carriers have suffered deep losses because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite receiving $992 million in federal aid, the company lost $450 million in the first six months of 2020, the Seattle Times reported. The federal relief was mostly meant to keep the airline from laying off employees.

Alaska has offered voluntary buyouts and leaves to employees, cut salaries and reduced advanced payments to suppliers to cut expenses, along with cutting flight routes and parking planes.

Last week, United and American Airlines said they would furlough a combined 32,000 workers.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump called for billions more in federal aid for airlines. It came hours after he called off talks with Democrats for a second stimulus package until after the November election.

Airlines had pledged to not cut any jobs until Oct. 1, under terms of the $25 billion in federal payroll support passed in March.

Airlines are flying about a third of the number of passengers compared to a year ago.

Aid bills to benefit airlines have been introduced in the House and Senate, but have not moved forward.

Boisedev.com first reported the Alaska Airlines layoffs.

P.F. Chang notifies state of layoffs

P.F. Chang’s also recently filed a WARN notice with the state. It said 75 workers would be laid off at the company’s restaurant at 391 S. 8th St. in BoDo on Oct. 1.

However, the company says the notice is actually retroactive, going back to the start of the pandemic back in March. Layoffs that occurred over a 6-month period triggered the notification, the company told the Idaho Statesman.

Nationwide, the chain is operating at almost 90% of its pre-pandemic workforce.

“They are not currently laying people off, but actually increasing staff, retraining and hiring,” spokesperson Katie Erwin said by email.

Eight positions, including servers, cooks, hosts and bartenders, are listed for the Boise restaurant on the company’s jobs website.

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