SEATTLE (AP) — Boeing has announced that it has laid off 2,199 workers in Washington state as part of a broader plan to cut approximately 17,000 jobs across the company. This information was disclosed in a notice filed with Washington’s Employment Security Department on Monday.
The aerospace giant revealed in October its intention to reduce its workforce by about 10% in response to ongoing financial struggles, regulatory challenges, and the recent nearly two-month strike by machinists. The layoffs will affect employees at Boeing facilities nationwide, including locations in Missouri, Arizona, and South Carolina, and will impact all three of the company’s divisions: commercial airplanes, defense, and global services.
Prior to these layoffs, Boeing employed around 66,000 workers in Washington. Among those affected are over 400 members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), who received their layoff notices last week but will remain on the payroll through mid-January.
Boeing’s unionized machinists returned to work earlier this month following the strike, which significantly strained the company’s finances. However, CEO Kelly Ortberg clarified during an October earnings call that the layoffs were not a direct result of the strike, but rather a necessary adjustment due to overstaffing.
Boeing, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, has faced severe financial difficulties since two fatal crashes of its 737 Max jetliner in 2018 and 2019, which resulted in the deaths of 346 people. The company’s challenges were compounded earlier this year when an incident involving an Alaska Airlines plane raised further safety concerns. As a result, production rates for the 737 Max have been significantly reduced, with the Federal Aviation Administration limiting production to 38 planes per month—a target Boeing has struggled to meet, especially during the strike.
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