'Sour taste in my mouth': Laid-off Boeing employee expresses frustration with company

The company announced last month it would reduce its workforce by about 10% to cut costs.

[andis]

Instead of getting pay increase, they get pink slip, who see that coming ?? no one ?

[chaoticrealm]

Boeing is bleeding money right now and a union of theirs decides it's a smart idea to go on strike demanding for an almost 40% pay increase... this result was expected.

[RobertFolger-br]

I guess the only bright thing is the union won’t be getting their monthly dues when people have nothing to give

[mikeg]

So your company had worse and worse results from its employees. The employees held production hostage demanding massive raises. The only way to keep planes being built was acquiesce to the demands with 38% raises to employees who created some of the worst results the company has ever seen. And now you are SHOCKED when this forced layoffs. You are adorable.

[jcbell-dhbm]

Ignorance is bliss until consequences arise. Guess what?

[NihonKaikan]

I guess demanding huge raises wasn’t the smartest move.

[EdGraham-em]

Stevie Wonder coulda seen the layoffs coming……strike a struggling company.

[incredibleshrinkingfungus]

This employee, like so many others, bought the union's hate for the company and thought they could deliver on their promises. What you want in life and what you get are two different things.

[latamirlaroux]

History repeats and people act surprised. Almost every time a union gets a better contract there is a force reduction. With the new contract plus all the misshapes I'm amazed it wasn't more people let go.

[kevinw]

I recalled there were a lot of strikes earlier demanding for higher compensation. The higher pay did not last long.

[GettingPaid-]

Boeing's financials were "affected by work stoppages"Strike" and charges on certain programs, totaling $17.8 billion, " refers to several impacts on their financial performance: Boeing machinists' strike began on September 13, 2024, and ended on November 5, 2024. This strike involved around 33, 000 workers and significantly impacted Boeing's operations, including the production of their main aircraft lines​. I never would and never have worked for a company with a union....

[ronstallworth]

Pulling a strike while the company is facing great financial and PR difficulties? Who could have predicted layoffs?

[ks]

If employees hope to keep pensions, I direct you to the United Airlines bankruptcy history.

[pharmdzznutzz]

They went on strike, company lost billions. What do you expect

[MySpace]

When the company is struggling to survive, don't go on strikes for higher pay checks

[MrDadala]

Need to clean house from top to bottom. Then hire the best of the best…merit based hires. Make the company what it once was. The demand for the product is at all time highs.

[anthonychicoine]

It never ceases to amaze me how ordinary, everyday people are so quick to judge people who go on strike, pushing for higher pay when they’ve been struggling for years to make ends meet. I worked for Boeing from ‘85-‘99 and then continued on with my aviation career from there. Boeing has always been such a proud time in my life, and was always seen as such a great and ethical place to work. Sadly, it has devolved into a company riddled with scandal and mismanagement. Regardless, executives are still taking in multi-million dollar salaries while employees can no longer afford to buy homes. Is that really such a big thing to expect out of life when you’re working for a company that USED to be so profitable? When I worked there, it was a company run by engineers who had SAFETY as priority #1. That was ALL that mattered. Building safe airplanes. The company has devolved into yet another typical American company. 100% focused on share holders and company executives. One can only hope they are now on the painful road back to being the successful and ethical company they used to be known as. Heart breaking to witness this.

[BETTERWORLDSGT]

In the third quarter of 2024, they had a net loss of 6.2 billion$, their worst quarter ever, they are already cutting corners as we know, the workers deserve decent wages, but it appears the company isn't in a financial position to do so.

[denniscarver]

Career help, means you ain't coming back. Don't freak it happens to us all. Shock comes when person is told "you aint worth it"

[crosslink]

I got laid off from my first full-time job after working there 9 months. The company closed down the facility to consolidate its operations with a facility in the eastern USA. No advanced notice, no "transition services", nothing except a final paycheck. That was 40 years ago. Since that time I've looked at every job as a contract job, I could be laid off tomorrow, and the only one looking out for me is me. Invest in yourself, open an IRA, brokerage investments, savings plans, etc. It all served me well and I recently retired for good.