Nearly 2,500 Boeing workers across the US will be laid off as part of the debt-heavy planemaker’s plan to cut 17,000 jobs or 10% of its global workforce. Affected employees will continue working at Boeing until January 17, in accordance with the 60-day notice rule.
The layoffs, announced under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, were widely expected this month, with additional notices anticipated in December. However, it was unexpected that the layoffs would include engineers and production workers.
The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace reported that 438 of its members would be laid off, including 218 engineers and 220 technicians. Similarly, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District Lodge 837 in St. Louis stated that 111 of its members, most of whom work on 777X wing components, would also lose their jobs.
While Boeing’s new CEO, Kelly Ortberg, previously claimed that the company does not plan to “take people off production or out of the engineering labs,” employees have raised concerns about uneven layoffs.
Some teams reportedly saw almost all their members receive WARN notices, while other teams lost only one or two members. These workers, although not classified as part of production, play a vital role in supporting it.
