Boeing announced that approximately 2,200 people will be laid off

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

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 released on Monday.

Companies in the United States are required by law to send a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notice to local authorities 60 days before any layoff.

BUSINESS INTERRUPTIONS Boeing employees work on the 737 MAX on the final assembly line of Boeing’s Renton factory on June 15, 2022 in Renton, Washington. The aircraft manufacturer announced on November 18, 2024 that it would reduce its workforce by 10 percent as it tries to recover from a seven-week strike. AFP PHOTO

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

The group has been plagued by production quality issues and endured a strike lasting more than 50 days that paralyzed two key factories.

On October 12, Boeing 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.

The company’s plants in Renton and Everett, near Seattle, were recently rocked by a strike involving more than 33,000 members of the local chapter of the International Union of Machinists bargaining over wages and working conditions.

“As previously announced, we are adjusting our workforce levels to suit our financial reality and more focused priorities,” a company spokesperson told Agence France-Presse (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 aviation giant also plans to lay off 50 people in Oregon and 63 in Colorado, according to WARN notices made Monday.

In South Carolina, where the 787 Dreamliner factory is located, 220 people are expected to lose their jobs in January.

Boeing employs thousands of workers at these three locations.

The engineers’ union Speea (Association of Professional Engineering Workers in the Aerospace Industry) was notified on Thursday evening that 438 of its members would be laid off, according to a spokesperson.

The union has more than 19,000 members in the United States, about 16,500 of whom work for Boeing.