EVERETT — Boeing announced layoffs for another 396 workers in Washington on Monday, according to a notice filed with the state Employment Security Department.
It’s the latest in a series of cuts planned by the aerospace giant. New CEO Kelly Ortberg announced in October the company would reduce its workforce by 10% over time, equal to 17,000 jobs. Those reductions will be made up of layoffs, attrition, retirements and backfills, Boeing said Friday. The company does not provide specifics of which locations or departments the reductions will affect.
“As announced in early October, we are adjusting our workforce levels to align with our financial reality and a more focused set of priorities,” the company said. “We are committed to ensuring our employees have support during this challenging time.”
In November, Boeing announced layoffs for 2,199 employees in Washington, with most set to lose their jobs by Jan. 17. The workers in the latest round of layoffs in Washington will be paid until Feb. 21, according to the notice.
The company employs more than 60,000 people in Washington, and about 170,000 worldwide. In October, Boeing reported a quarterly loss of nearly $6 billion after the International Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers went on a 53-day strike. Seventeen thousand of those workers are based in Everett.
The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, a union representing engineers, laboratory technicians and analysts, said Monday’s layoffs will affect 222 of their members at Boeing across Washington, Oregon, California and Utah.
“We’re assisting our members as best we can through this process,” union spokesperson Bryan Corliss said Monday.
In November’s wave of cuts, Boeing had laid off 438 of its members, with 425 of them based in Washington, Corliss said. The company has cut 660 members of the union over the two waves of layoffs.
Laid off workers will receive severance pay, career transition services and subsidized health care benefits up to 3 months after exiting the company, Boeing said. The union will provide assistance with applications to unemployment benefits, as well as classes on resume writing and interview preparation, Corliss said.
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
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