San Antonio Business Journal - by Tamarind Phinisee
Published: 02-05-09
Boeing Co. officials say that San Antonio aircraft workers will be spared from the company’s plans to eliminate 4500 positions nationwide in 2009.
Boeing officials in Chicago released a statement indicating that the layoffs will take place primarily in the company’s Commercial Airplanes business unit. Jim Prouix a spokesman for Boeing’s Commercial Airplanes unit says there are few if any of these employees in San Antonio.
“Thus any affect on San Antonio employment from this action will be absolutely minimal” Prouix says adding that local workers primarily support military not commercial aircraft. “Virtually all Boeing San Antonio employees are with or support our Integrated Defense & Space business.”
Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Scott Carson says the company is working to ensure its competitiveness and control costs in the face of the weakening global economy.
“We have made significant strides in recent years to achieve greater efficiency and productivity but we still face challenges that we must address” Carson says. “We regret the disruption to those affected by this (layoff) decision but we believe that acting now will allow us to be in a financial position to adapt to market uncertainties meet our customer commitments continue investing in our current and future product lines and protect our competitiveness in a fiercely competitive business environment.”
The reduction in workforce within this business unit will bring Commercial Airplanes’ employment to approximately 63500 — similar to what it was at the start of 2008.
Though normal attrition and a reduction in contract labor will account for some of the job reductions layoffs will still be necessary according to Boeing.
Most of the job reductions will affect workers in Washington state. The company will focus on cutting “overhead” and other positions not directly associated with airplane production.
Employees in Seattle and elsewhere in the state will begin receiving 60-day notices in late February. Affected employees will be offered career-transition services and other benefits. The job cuts are expected to take place during the second quarter of 2009.
