Tulsa Families Fear They Will Bear The Brunt Of AA Bankruptcy

Workers are worried about their future with American Airlines after the company filed for bankruptcy Tuesday.

They say they're supposed to report to work as usual -- but their minds are racing. 

News On 6 met three men who are related and have a long history working for American. Now, this father, brother and son are worried about their own families.

"It's just hard to believe because they've hired so many people," said Ken Fields, AA mechanic.

Ken Fields, his son Jeremy and his brother Richard all work for American Airlines.

"I'm just wondering what's going to happen to those of us who haven't been there very long and all the new hires. Whether we are going to keep our job or what's going to happen with us and nobody knows anything," said Jeremy Fields, AA aircraft cleaner.

Jeremy Fields is an aircraft cleaner at the maintenance base. He moved to Tulsa from Ohio for the job and has been working there for seven months. Jeremy is thinking about his fiancee and four kids.

"It's a good job and I thought I'd be able to retire from here and have a good retirement for my family," Jeremy said.

Ken is one of the many mechanics based in Tulsa and he's been with American since 1994. The father of six found out at work about the Chapter 11 filing.

"They're buying a lot of new airplanes and that's pretty much a sore subject at the base right now. They're buying all these new airplanes and not telling us where they're going to do the maintenance at," Ken said.

The company still wants to buy those 460 new planes. Fields thinks the workers will bear the brunt of the bankruptcy. He was with the company when the union made concessions to help American stay afloat after 9/11.

"An enormous amount of stuff, 17 1/2 percent is what we gave up and now are we going to give up more? We don't know," Ken said.

The Fields are going to take things day-by-day. Jeremy Fields says he has been thinking about going to school to get his aircraft maintenance license, but now he's not sure about that.

11/29/2011 Related Story: American Airlines Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection