The recent layoffs at Southwest Airlines, as reported by Amy Nixon, have sent shockwaves through the Dallas community. With 1,750 employees laid off, the company’s decision was a devastating blow to the local workforce. To add salt to the wound, Southwest also made a public statement announcing a hiring freeze, further demoralizing those still employed and leaving many to question the company’s future direction.
But here’s where things get even more puzzling. In the same quarter that Southwest announced these mass layoffs, the company applied for 38 H1-B visa labor certifications. This raises serious questions about their priorities, especially when the person hired for one of these positions was scheduled to start the very week the layoffs were made public. The optics are awful. It seems more than a little out of place to be outsourcing talent while letting go of a large portion of the existing workforce.
It gets even worse when you remember that Southwest received a hefty $7 billion in pandemic relief funds. This was $7 billion of taxpayer money meant to help companies keep their operations running and protect jobs during the economic downturn. Yet, just two years later, Southwest is turning around and laying off 15% of its workforce. This is the kind of thing that makes people question where their bailout money really went. How can a company accept such a significant public handout and then lay off employees so soon after?
It’s becoming clear that Southwest’s actions don’t line up with the kind of loyalty and responsibility people expect after receiving public funds. For employees and the local community, this is a betrayal that will be hard to forget. The message is loud and clear: corporate priorities are being put above the well-being of the very people who helped keep the company afloat during a crisis.
Sources:
https://x.com/texasrunnerDFW/status/1897705256080880051
https://www.myvisajobs.com/employer/southwest-airlines/
https://www.myvisajobs.com/Visa-Sponsor/Northwest-Airlines/501391.htm
https://h1bgrader.com/h1b-sponsors/southwest-airlines-co-vx23lopn2g