Hit by Boeing strike, supplier Spirit Aero to furlough 700 employees
Al Jazeera
Spirit says it does not have additional space to store the 767 and 777 fuselages it builds for Boeing planes.
Spirit AeroSystems has told employees that it will furlough 700 workers for 21 days as a more than one-month strike at United States-based plane maker Boeing eats into the supplier’s cash and inventory space.
The furloughs, announced on Friday, will affect Spirit Aero employees working on Boeing’s 767 and 777 wide-body jet programmes. Production of those jets was halted when more than 33,000 factory workers on the US West Coast went on strike on September 13.
The furloughs follow other Spirit efforts to cut costs, including a hiring freeze and travel and overtime restrictions.
Spirit said in a statement on Friday that it does not have room for additional storage of the 767 and 777 fuselages it builds.
“We recognize the impact this has on our valued teammates and their families, and we are committed to supporting them through this period,” Spirit CEO Pat Shanahan said.
