Some of nearly 300 flight attendants, mechanics and ground crew workers protest American Airlines' restructuring plan that would layoff 13,000 employees, terminate pensions and shut down its Alliance Fort Worth maintenance facility, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012 at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas. (AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Khampha Bouaphanh) MAGS OUT
Some of nearly 300 flight attendants, mechanics and ground crew workers protest American Airlines' restructuring plan that would layoff 13,000 employees, terminate pensions and shut down its Alliance Fort Worth maintenance facility, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012 at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas. (AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Khampha Bouaphanh) MAGS OUT
About 300 flight attendants, mechanics and ground crew workers protest American Airlines' restructuring plan that would layoff 13,000 employees, terminate pensions and shut down its Alliance Fort Worth maintenance facility, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012 at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas. (AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Khampha Bouaphanh) MAGS OUT
A traveler walks past as nearly 300 flight attendants, mechanics and ground crew workers protest American Airlines' restructuring plan that would layoff 13,000 employees, terminate pensions and shut down its Alliance Fort Worth maintenance facility, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012 at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas. (AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Khampha Bouaphanh) MAGS OUT
About 300 flight attendants, mechanics and ground crew workers protest American Airlines' restructuring plan that would layoff 13,000 employees, terminate pensions and shut down its Alliance Fort Worth maintenance facility, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012 at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas. (AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Khampha Bouaphanh) MAGS OUT
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) ? Flight attendants and ground workers marched in picket lines Tuesday to protest American Airlines' plans to outsource jobs and cut pay and benefits under a bankruptcy reorganization.
Several of the protesters acknowledged having little hope of changing the company's course. Some said that they expect to be laid off soon.
There appeared to be 200 to 250 protesters at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. A few passengers disembarked from cars and rolled their bags into the international terminal while avoiding contact with the pickets.
The event was a reminder of the long and bitter divide between labor and management at American, the third-largest airline in America. There may also be differences ? at least in style ? among the workers themselves. The pilots' union skipped the protest, preferring to take a less confrontational approach.
American and its parent, AMR Corp., filed for bankruptcy protection on Nov. 29 after running up billions of dollars in losses over the past decade. Two weeks ago, AMR laid out a plan to cut 13,000 jobs, kill its pension plans, reduce benefits and make other changes such as longer hours for some of its 88,000 employees.
Under bankruptcy law, the company can try to negotiate new labor contracts with unions. If that fails, it can ask the bankruptcy judge to impose the company's plan.
"I don't think this is going to do anything to change management's opinion as far as our (contract negotiations), but it's something we can do to show support for each other," said Angelica Abrams, a Dallas-based flight attendant with 30 years at American.
Laura Glading, president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, also predicted that the company is determined to walk away from previous labor contracts. "We're here today to show we're not going to back down without a fight," she said.
American said the event didn't disrupt passengers at DFW, one of its five major U.S. hub airports.
Company spokesman Bruce Hicks said that restructuring American "is a difficult but necessary process." He said every employee group, including management, would be affected.
"Our goal is to exit as a growing, profitable company that preserves tens of thousands of jobs," Hicks said.
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