Former Sabre Employees Getting Extra Help

Sabre Corporation laid off 185 of its Tulsa employees Thursday. On Friday, more than 100 of them lined up for job counseling.<br><br>The layoffs are part of a companywide attempt to cut costs, even though

Saturday, September 2nd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Sabre Corporation laid off 185 of its Tulsa employees Thursday. On Friday, more than 100 of them lined up for job counseling.

The layoffs are part of a companywide attempt to cut costs, even though Sabre insists it will expand in Tulsa over the next decade.

One by one employees filed in to sign up for workshops.

The classes will teach them interview skills and assist them in building a resume.

There are also counselors available if they need to talk.

Employees were upbeat and positive, confident they are going to find another job soon.

But they say it was a completely different story when they first heard the news.

"It's a very sick feeling when it takes place and the first thing you think about is your family, your children, your wife, your friends, neighbors, how you look. It's just a sinking feeling of now what? What do you do?" says Richard Lloyd, former Sabre employee.

Richard has four children and another on the way.

He says going to the job counseling center and seeing everyone really lifted his spirits.

"I'm looking at the talent around us and the people. And people are smiling. There is hope and we're going to work together, I think we're going to chain ourselves together to get there. I really believe that," says Lloyd.

Sabre says they're doing job counseling as a favor to employees. They don't have to do it but they say they want to make the layoff as easy as possible on people. Some of the employees say it does help.

"It's always a shock. Nobody likes to lose their job but like I said it's not like they're dangling us out there," says Dolores Schiffman, former Sabre employee.

Schiffman was with Sabre for 21 years.

Like many others, she believes she has a good chance of getting another job soon.

She says she doesn't have any ill feelings toward Sabre, and if the company offered her a job down the line she would take it.

The workshops will take place at the Tulsa Sheraton Hotel beginning Tuesday.