JetBlue

JetBlue Airways became the latest company to announce bonuses for its employees Thursday. 

JetBlue Airways became the latest corporation to announce that its employees would be receiving a bonus in the wake of the recently passed tax overhaul that the Republican-led Congress and President Donald Trump made law before the new year.

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In a statement to employees , JetBlue announced Thursday that all of its crew members excluding chief executive officers and executive vice presidents would be receiving $1,000 bonuses by the end of February. The bonuses will be paid to crew members employed with the airline before January 31, 2017. Southwest Airlines also announced its intentions to give its employees $1,000 bonuses earlier this week.

“Crewmembers like you are the heart of JetBlue and the reason we have become one of the most awarded airlines (and brands) in the world,” the airline’s statement read. “We’re delighted we’re able to offer this extra thank you for your incredible efforts. In the months ahead, we look forward to working with our Values Committees and directly with you on other ideas for how we can use tax reform benefits to make JetBlue even stronger.”

With the announcement JetBlue joins a growing list of large companies that have offered similar bonuses since the GOP tax bill was signed into law, a list that includes companies like AT&T, Comcast, Wells Fargo and Boeing.

JetBlue is the majority tenant at Long Beach Airport (LGB) and Southwest has been a growing presence at LGB since being granted four initial flight slots at the airport in 2016. The two airlines employ about 75,000 workers.

The GOP tax plan was a controversial win for President Trump and the Republicans as the overhaul slashed corporate tax rates permanently from 35 percent to 21 percent while tax cuts to individuals will phase out over the next 10 years. The bill was sold by Republican members of Congress and the president as a way to make the country more competitive with nations that have lower tax rates for businesses.

Both have pointed to the initial flurry of “Trump Bonuses” as proof that the tax plan is already working, with companies opting to reward employees immediately after the bill’s passage. While these one-time bonuses are good for workers it’s unclear what the long-term view will be for employees after individual tax breaks go away. In the meantime, companies like Southwest and JetBlue are suggesting that they will continue to invest in their employees and their fleet.

“We applaud Congress and the President for taking this action to pass legislation, which will result in meaningful corporate income tax reform for the transportation sector in general, and for Southwest Airlines, in particular,” said Southwest Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly in a statement issued Tuesday. “We are excited about the savings and additional capital, which we intend to put to work in several forms—to reward our hard-working Employees, to reinvest in our business, to reward our Shareholders, and to keep our costs and fares low for our Customers.”

Jason Ruiz covers City Hall and politics for the Long Beach Post. Reach him at [email protected] or @JasonRuiz_LB on Twitter.