United Airlines yesterday said it expects to lay off 472 workers at Newark Liberty International Airport as part of a job outsourcing at a cargo facility. “We will work with our employee groups to help our coworkers through this process, minimize involuntarily job losses and, where feasible, find our coworkers other opportunities with the company or with our vendors.”

Outsourcing “is something that has worked in other airports without reducing the level of service.”

Companies use the airline to ship small packages.The new company will “manage the acceptance of the goods that are being shipped.”
The workers being laid off may find jobs with United in Newark or elsewhere in the country.

Employees were notified by mail. The layoffs could be effective by the first week of March.
About 13,000 people are employed by United at Newark Airport.This is part of the Continental Airlines merger in 2011.