Boeing will lay off more than 2,200 workers in Washington and Oregon, the aerospace giant announced Monday, part of a broader plan to reduce its global workforce by 17,000 jobs, or 10% of its employees.
The company began notifying affected U.S. workers Wednesday that they will remain on payroll until January 17, meeting federal requirements for 60-day advance notice of employment termination. Additional layoff notices are expected in December.
Despite CEO Kelly Ortberg’s October statement that Boeing did not intend to “take people off production or out of the engineering labs,” the cuts have hit both technical and production staff. The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) reported 438 union members received notices, including 218 engineers and 220 technicians.
In St. Louis, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 837 said 111 members, mostly wing component manufacturers for the 777X, received notices.
The impact varies significantly across departments, according to non-union workers who spoke to Reuters. One Boeing Defense, Space & Security engineer reported nearly all members of his 12-person team were cut, while another said she was the sole recipient of a notice in her 20-person group.
“This is probably an opportunity to look around and see who’s not doing anything, who’s dead weight,” said one Boeing retiree-turned-contractor who was laid off. “There are a lot of people like that around Boeing, who are not being productive, who are not essential.”
The layoffs come as Boeing attempts to resume production of its bestselling 737 MAX following a weeks-long strike by more than 33,000 U.S. West Coast workers that halted most commercial jet manufacturing.
Boeing declined to comment further on Monday’s announcement.
