Boeing lays off hundreds more SPEEA workers

Boeing has issued layoff notices to 222 members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) union, according to a short statement published on the organization’s website Friday.

It is not yet known how many people in the state of Washington were impacted.

This new round of layoffs, which affect 184 members of the professional unit and 38 members of the technical workers unit, are another part of a company-wide effort to reduce its global workforce by 10%, which amounts to about 17,000 job cuts overall.

SPEEA staff members are “reviewing the data to ensure Boeing followed the process for layoffs spelled out in our Prof and Tech contracts,” the union added in its statement.

The union’s message also explains it will work with state agencies to explain unemployment benefits and provide services to help those laid off find new jobs. Those impacted also are “encouraged to check out free online classes for resume writing and job interview techniques,” the announcement from the union reads.

Previous Boeing layoffs

Last month, Boeing issued layoff notices to 438 SPEEA members, including 218 in the professional unit and 220 in the technical workers unit.

SPEEA represents 17,000 Boeing employees primarily based in Washington. Some of its members are based in Oregon, California and Utah as well.

Overall, the Boeing layoffs announced previously were set to impact nearly 2,200 workers in the state of Washington, a notice filed with the Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) in November states.

The worker adjustment and retraining notification (WARN) layoff and closure database update shows 2,199 Boeing workers were laid off. The layoff date is listed as Dec. 20 and it will affect workers in “various locations in Washington.” The database also states the layoffs are permanent.

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Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said in a statement to employees in October that the company would lay off about 10% of its staff “over the coming months.”

“We must also reset our workforce levels to align with our financial reality and to a more focused set of priorities, Ortberg said in the statement.

The CEO added in his statement the reductions will include executives, managers and employees.

Layoffs announced during the machinist strike

The Boeing machinist union strike, which involved more than 33,000 workers and significantly impacted company operations, ended late on Nov. 4 after 59% of voting workers decided to accept the company’s latest offer.

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The strike began Sept. 13 with an overwhelming 94.6% rejection of Boeing’s offer to raise pay by 25% over four years — far less than the union’s original demand for 40% wage increases over three years. The work stoppage drew the attention of the Biden administration. Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su intervened in the talks several times, including last week.

It was another setback for the giant aircraft maker whose reputation and finances have been battered and now faces a shutdown in production of its best-selling airline planes.

Despite the ongoing strike, in his remarks as part of the 2023 third-quarter analysts call in October, Ortberg didn’t blame the strike for the layoffs. Instead, the CEO said it was vital to stabilize the business and “(streamline) the portfolio to do what we do well.”

Boeing has been in financial trouble since two crashes of its 737 Max jetliner killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019. The company’s fortunes and reputation took a further hit when a panel blew off the fuselage of an Alaska Airlines plane in January.

Production rates slowed to a crawl, and the Federal Aviation Administration capped production of the 737 MAX at 38 planes per month, a threshold Boeing had yet to reach when the machinists’ strike halted assembly lines.

Contributing: Bill Kaczaraba; The Associated Press

Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on X, or email him here.