UPS to lay off 60 airline mechanics
UPS Airlines will lay off 60 airline mechanics nationwide in an attempt to reduce costs in response to the economic slowdown.
UPS Airlines, a subsidiary of United Parcel Service Inc., will lay off 60 airline mechanics nationwide in an attempt to reduce costs in response to the economic slowdown.
It is unclear how many of the mechanics will come from Louisville, the home of UPS Airlines. About 590 of the company’s 1,363 airline mechanics are located at Louisville International Airport, UPS Airlines public relations manager Mike Mangeot said.
The mechanics make an average salary of $89,400, Mangeot said.
Officials with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters will determine which employees are laid off, Mangeot said. The mechanics are represented locally by Teamsters Local 2727.
“This is something we don’t like to do,” Mangeot said. “It’s not the way we normally do business, but we need to make prudent decisions today to allow us to make it through the tough times.”
Because of the economic downturn, fewer packages are being shipped by air and fewer UPS planes are taking to the sky, Mangeot said. He declined to say how many daily flights the company currently makes or how it compares to UPS’ flight schedule for January 2007.
