Dollar Thrifty deal creates uncertainty for Tulsa employees

But that's the only guarantee they've been offered after Hertz Global Holdings agreed to pay $2.3 billion for Dollar Thrifty.

Hertz agreed to not engage in layoffs — other than firing someone for cause — at Dollar Thrifty's Tulsa headquarters basically for the remainder of the year. The company also agreed to “maintain the workforces” at the Tulsa headquarters for at least six months, according to regulatory filings.

Jim Fram, senior vice president of economic development for the Tulsa Metro Chamber, said the long courtship of Dollar Thrifty by Hertz and others offered ample opportunity to prepare for the sale. “Our goal all along is to be as aggressive as we can with Hertz to show some of the attributes of the state of Oklahoma, of northeast Oklahoma and Tulsa in keeping as much of this workforce here as we can,” Fram said.

Hertz CEO Mark Frissora said combining the companies will produce annual savings of about $160 million. Such savings often come in the form of layoffs in merger and acquisition deals. However, Frissora, in a conference call Monday, focused more on fleet costs, IT system integration and procurement savings.