Boeing Union Investigating Claims of Offshoring Amid Downturn
Boeing's engineering union (SPEEA) has launched an official investigation into allegations that the company is outsourcing work to non-unionized locations domestically and internationally. This follows a December request by SPEEA for relevant information from Boeing.
Union officials suspect that Boeing is leveraging its recently announced layoffs to shift jobs away from Seattle, where SPEEA represents 17,000 employees. In October, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg outlined plans to cut approximately 17,000 jobs (10% of its workforce) due to financial challenges. Boeing recorded nearly $8 billion in losses during the first nine months of 2024.
According to SPEEA's Director of Strategic Development Rich Plunkett, union members reported that work previously performed by laid-off employees is being reassigned to other Boeing locations.
Boeing declined to provide a statement on Wednesday.