Boeing resumes production on 737 MAX planes in Renton factory

As Boeing navigates turbulent times, the company confirmed the production of one of its most popular planes has resumed. KIRO Newsradio reached out to the aircraft giant on Tuesday, asking if production on its 737 MAX planes was back on track.

Boeing sent back a statement that read in part, “Our team has worked methodically to restart factory operations in the Pacific Northwest. We have now resumed 737 production in our Renton factory, with our Everett programs on plan to follow in the days ahead.”

The company added safety measures have been put in place.

“We used our Safety Management System to create program-specific plans to identify, evaluate and mitigate potential risks at each stage of the restart,” it wrote.

Boeing said it has used the last several weeks for training and certification, along with “ensuring parts and tools are ready, and completing work on airplanes in inventory to prepare for the resumption of production at pre-work stoppage levels.”

‘Like Russian roulette:’ Boeing whistleblower warns of faulty parts on ’60 Minutes’

Boeing sees backlog for 737 MAX planes

The company said the backlog for its 737 MAX planes in the Renton factory is 4,218, which includes its 4,204 737 MAX orders. Boeing added the backlog across all sites (Everett, Renton and South Carolina) and commercial products (737, 767, 777F/777x and 787) tallies 5,499.

According to The Seattle Times, citing Boeing’s monthly announcement, 767 and 777/777X production is set to resume in Everett in the coming days.

Production was slowed drastically during a nearly two-month strike by the machinists union. The Seattle Times reported during that time, Boeing produced a mere 13 commercial planes, 43 fewer compared to the same month a year ago.

The media outlet added the company’s backlog went from 5,462 at the end of October to 5,499 by the end of November.

Previous coverage: Machinist union votes to accept Boeing offer, end strike

The machinists union, made up of 33,000 members, voted to end the strike on Nov. 4. The members were able to return to work the same week.

In its statement, the International Association of Machinists 751 (IAM) and Aerospace Workers stated this new contract “has instantly set a new standard for compensation and wages for aerospace industry workers.” It also noted the attention it has received both in the U.S. and internationally.

A 38% general wage increase (GWI) over four years — with 13% coming in Year 1 — is included for the union workers in the Boeing proposal. Years 2 and 3 would see a 9% increase. Finally, the fourth year would include a 7% raise. The union noted this compounds to 43.65% over the life of the agreement.

Plane production resumes amid layoffs

However, the new contract did not spare layoffs for thousands of workers.

A notice filed Monday with the Washington State Employment Security Department states the Boeing layoffs announced earlier this year will impact another nearly 400 workers in Washington.

More details: Boeing lays off nearly 400 more people in Washington, state reports

This latest news comes after the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) union announced Friday, in a short statement published on its website, that Boeing issued layoff notices to 222 members of the SPEEA union.

The new round of SPEEA layoffs affects 184 members of the professional unit and 38 members of the technical workers unit.

Last month, the state layoff and closure database update showed 2,199 Boeing workers were laid off.

Contributing: Steve Coogan, MyNorthwest

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.