Boeing sends layoff notices to 400-plus members of professional aerospace union – report

Debt-ridden plane-maker Boeing (NYSE:BA) has reportedly delivered layoff notices to more than 400 members of its professional aerospace labor union, as part of a larger workforce reduction plan amid ongoing financial challenges.

The pink slips went out last week to members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, or SPEEA, The Seattle Times reported. The workers will remain on the payroll through mid-January.

Boeing said in October that it planned to cut 10% of its workforce, about 17,000 jobs, in the coming months. CEO Kelly Ortberg told employees the company must “reset its workforce levels to align with our financial reality.”

SPEEA union said Thursday that the cuts had affected 438 members. The union’s local chapter has 17,000 Boeing employees who are largely based in Washington, with some in Oregon, California and Utah, as per the report.

Boeing (NYSE:BA) has also temporarily furloughed several employees after 33,000 union workers began their strike in September and halted production of its best-selling 737 Max as well as other jets.