As part of a previously disclosed strategy to reduce its global workforce by 10%, the US aviation giant Boeing issued its first redundancy notifications on Monday.
According to a statement issued Monday, Boeing plans to eliminate about 2,200 positions in the US state of Washington, which is home to many of its oldest operations.
Companies in the United States are required by law to submit a “WARN” notice (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) to local authorities 60 days before any layoffs.
In its notice, Boeing said it expects to start laying people off permanently starting December 20. A total of 2,199 people will be affected.
The group has been plagued by production quality problems, and has just endured a strike lasting more than 50 days that paralyzed two crucial factories.
On October 12, Boeing unveiled plans to reduce its global workforce by 10 percent over the coming months, without giving any further details.
At the end of last year, Boeing employed around 170,000 people, with almost 67,000 of them based in Washington state, the state where the firm was established and where it manufactures its best-selling 737 series of aircraft, as well as the 777, 767, and a number of military aircraft.
More than 33,000 members of the local chapter of the International Association of Machinists (IAM) went on strike recently at its Renton and Everett plants, which are close to Seattle. The walkout was in response to negotiations about wages and working conditions.
“As previously announced, we are adjusting our workforce levels to align with our financial reality and a more focused set of priorities,” a company spokesperson told AFP.
According to Boeing, most of the employees receiving redundancy notices this week will leave the company in mid-January. Benefits and health insurance will continue to be paid for up to three months after that.
The aviation behemoth also plans to lay off 50 employees in Oregon and 63 in Colorado, according to WARN warnings on Monday.
In January, 220 workers are anticipated to lose their employment in South Carolina, the location of the 787 Dreamliner manufacturing.
These three sites are home to thousands of Boeing employees.
According to a spokesperson for the engineers’ union SPEEA (Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace), the organisation was informed Thursday night that 438 of its members will be let off.
Approximately 16,500 of the union’s 19,000+ members in the US are Boeing employees.
