Boeing announced Wednesday that it will temporarily furlough tens of thousands of workers after about 30,000 machinists went on strike Friday, halting production of the top-selling 737 MAX and other planes.
“We are initiating temporary furloughs in the coming days that will impact a significant number of U.S. executives, managers and employees,” CEO Kelly Ortberg said in an email to employees. “We plan to furlough select employees for one week every four weeks on an ongoing basis for the duration of the strike.”
The strike, the first at Boeing since 2008, is the latest step in a tumultuous year for the planemaker that began when a door panel blew off a new 737 MAX plane in January.
