Boeing begins first, planned job cuts with 6,770 layoffs in US

Bloomberg

Boeing Co unveiled the first and deepest of its planned job cuts, saying it would notify 6,770 employees in the US that their positions would be eliminated.
The collapse in air travel sparked by the coronavirus pandemic has sapped demand for jetliners, forcing Boeing to scale back its commercial business, Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun said in a message to employees. Cuts overseas will be communicated separately.
Calhoun warned last month that Boeing would need to cut 10%, or about 16,000 jobs, from its workforce as many of the company’s best airline customers fight for survival. Rival Airbus SE also has been contemplating steep payroll reductions after announcing plans to pare output by more than a third.
“The Covid-19 pandemic’s devastating impact on the airline industry means a deep cut in the number of commercial jets and services our customers will need over the next few years, which in turn means fewer jobs on our lines and in our offices,” Calhoun told employees. “I wish there were some other way.”
The company plans to pare its workforce over several months through natural attrition and several waves of job cuts, a spokesman said. Another 5,520 US employees have been approved to leave voluntarily with severance packages and will depart Boeing in the next few weeks.
The Chicago-based manufacturer had told union officials that layoff notices will go out on Friday, and some managers have already begun alerting employees that they will lose their jobs, according to the union that
represents about 18,000 engineers in the Puget Sound region.
About 1,300 members were accepted for buyouts, a spokesman for the labour group said. Boeing is seeing some “green shoots” towards an eventual recovery, Calhoun said, noting that bookings are starting to outpace ticket cancellations at some airlines.