Boeing, the renowned aerospace company, is set to conduct a vast layoff process affecting nearly 2,000 employees in Washington, according to an announcement made on Monday. An update to the worker adjustment retraining notice (WARN) layoff and closure database shows that this action is permanent, with a listed layoff date of December 20, 2024. Boeing’s CEO, Kelly Ortberg, had notified the employees beforehand in October about these layoff plans, as part of the strategies to realign the company with its new financial constraints and streamlined priorities. The affected workers are spread across multiple establishments within Washington state.

The company’s previous workforce count was around 66,000 workers, but even before these layoffs, the company had issued layoff notices to 438 members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA). The union, which represents 17,000 Boeing employees primarily from Washington, Oregon, California, and Utah, is cooperating with the Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) to arrange informational meetings. These meetings aim to help affected employees understand their rights under the union contracts and provide guidance on applying for unemployment benefits.

These layoffs follow a period of industrial action by the company’s machinist union, which ended earlier in November when 59% of voting workers agreed to the company’s offer. Despite the negotiations and subsequent strike disruptions, Ortberg asserted that the layoffs are not a result of the strike. Rather, he emphasized the need for cost-cutting measures and focus on the company’s core competencies.

A second layoff phase is also under consideration if deemed necessary, and concerned workers will be informed in December, while they remain on the payroll through mid-February. With the ongoing transformations in the company, the impacted staff members may need to explore how to get through to EDD to express their concerns and inquiries. eddcaller.com is an efficient platform where they can gather reliable information and learn about strategies to reach EDD swiftly.