Boeing Announces Layoffs of Almost 2,200 People at Historic Sites

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US aerospace giant Boeing sent out its first layoff notices on Monday as part of its previously announced plan to cut 10 percent of its global workforce.

Boeing plans to cut about 2,200 jobs in the US state of Washington, home to many of its oldest factories, according to a statement made public on Monday.

Companies in the United States are required by law to send a “WARN” notice (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice) to local authorities sixty days prior to any layoff.

Boeing said in its announcement that it expects to permanently lay off people starting Dec. 20. 2,199 people will be affected.

The group has been struggling with production quality issues and was subject to a strike that lasted more than 50 days and paralyzed two key factories.

On October 12, it announced plans to reduce its global workforce by 10 percent in the coming months, without providing further details.

Boeing’s employees numbered about 170,000 at the end of last year; Close to 67,000 of them were in Washington state, where the company was founded and produces the best-selling 737 series of aircraft, as well as the 777, 767 and several military aircraft. planes.

Its factories in Renton and Everett, near Seattle, were recently hampered by a strike involving more than 33,000 members of the local chapter of the International Association of Machinists (IAM), bargaining over wages and working conditions.

“As previously announced, we are adjusting our workforce levels to match our financial reality and more focused priorities,” a company spokesman told AFP.

According to Boeing, most employees who received layoff notices this week will leave the company in mid-January. Benefits and health insurance will continue to be paid for up to three months from now on.

The engineers’ union SPEEA (Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace) was notified Thursday evening that 438 of its members would be laid off, according to a spokesperson.

It has more than 19,000 members across the United States, approximately 16,500 of whom work for Boeing.

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