CHICAGO --
About 332 United Airlines ramp and customer service workers have taken early-out and voluntary furloughs -- reducing the number of layoffs the company says it will need. United offered voluntary programs for the International Association of Machinist Workers in July and again in September. It said the voluntary departures by the workers have reduced the need for layoffs in that group by 40 percent. United has been aiming to eliminate 7,000 positions across its work groups because of high fuel costs.