Owasso Area Businesses Worry As American Airlines Layoffs Loom

Thousands of people are worried sick after American Airlines announced it will shed more than 2,000 jobs from the Tulsa maintenance facility.

02/01/2012 Related Story: AMR Spokesman: 2,100 American Airlines Jobs To Be Cut At Tulsa Base

Many in the Owasso area are worried about their friends, neighbors and the overall impact on the area economy.

Collinsville car dealer Dan Perkins has quite a few customers who work at American Airlines. He's worried massive layoffs will put the brakes on business.

"People are not going to look at buying a new car if they're worried that they may be getting laid off or something like that," Perkins said.

For years, American Airlines has been golden for Owasso jeweler Danny Ewing, but job cuts by the airline are going over like a lead balloon.

"If they're not sure of their job stature, that they may not have a job, they would be like I, I wouldn't buy anything," Ewing said.

Those American Airlines employees are not just customers, but many are also friends and neighbors. Fourteen percent of the airlines' Tulsa workforce live in Owasso and Collinsville.

"You don't want to see a neighbor, friend or anyone be out of a job and have to move away to follow work," Perkins said.

There's no doubt businesses like the car lot and the jewelry store, will feel the ripple effect. They just hope with so many good, well paying jobs lost, it won't be an economic tidal wave.

Collinsville Mayor Stan Sallee says the best hope is to figure out a way to minimize the number of lost jobs and to aggressively go after other aerospace businesses to make up for the losses.

"These are trained, skilled employees in that industry, so yes, hopefully people, corporations will take look and know we'll have that additional labor work force in this region," Sallee said.

Though it's good the Tulsa facility didn't close, it's little comfort to worried families. Or for others, whose small business success is threatened by the big business bankruptcy.

Not only does the decision from American Airlines impact other businesses, it also has an impact on tax revenues collected by cities in the area.