Boeing announces layoffs affecting over 500 employees in Southern California

The layoffs extend beyond California. In November, Simple Flying reported nearly 700 job cuts at Boeing's Defense, Space & Security division in Missouri. Reuters highlighted that Boeing issued 60-day notices to at least 3,100 U.S. workers across Washington, Oregon, South Carolina, and Missouri. This includes almost 2,200 notices in Washington and another 220 in South Carolina.

Boeing's defense department remains crucial for the company; however, its space division faces challenges. The Space Launch System is significantly over budget and the Starliner spacecraft recently failed to return astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS), leaving them stranded until SpaceX's Dragon 2 capsule retrieves them in February.

The labor union representing Boeing employees is closely monitoring these developments to ensure compliance with union contracts.

This year's difficulties for Boeing began with an incident involving Alaska Airlines that led to increased scrutiny from the Federal Aviation Administration and caused some major clients to seek alternatives for their aircraft needs. Former CEO Dave Calhoun resigned amid growing criticism and was succeeded by aerospace industry veteran Kelly Ortberg.

A mass strike by over 33,000 workers demanding better pay and benefits occurred between September and November. These recent layoffs are part of Boeing’s broader strategy to reduce its global workforce by approximately 10%, impacting around 17,000 employees as it seeks to manage debt and concentrate on core business areas.