Boeing offering voluntary layoffs to employees as coronavirus ravages business
Boeing is offering voluntary layoffs to 161,000 employees, including many in South Carolina, as it is one of several businesses struggling financially during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Across Boeing, we’re focused on keeping one another and our communities safe as the COVID-19 pandemic reaches every corner of the globe. Our first priority is and will continue to be protecting the health and safety of our people, their families and the stakeholders we touch,” Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun said in a news release. “We’re also doing everything we can to protect the future of our business.”
That’s where the voluntary layoffs factor in.
The buyouts will allow eligible employees to leave Boeing with a pay and benefits package, according to the release.
Information on the details of the buyout were not available, but is supposed to be available before May.
Calhoun intimated this is a preemptive move by Boeing to try to eliminate the need for involuntary layoffs.
“We’re in uncharted waters. We’re taking actions — including offering this (voluntary layoff) plan — based on what we know today. They will bridge us to recovery as long as we’re not confronted with more unexpected challenges,” Calhoun said. “I can’t predict with certainty what the next few months will bring, but I can commit to being honest about what’s happening and doing everything we can to protect our people and our business through this crisis.”
It has been a difficult stretch for Boeing. In the past year it had its 737 Max fleet grounded, UPI reported.
On March 16, former South Carolina Gov. and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley resigned from Boeing’s board of directors after the company requested a bailout during the coronavirus pandemic.
A week later on March 23, an employee at Boeing South Carolina in North Charleston tested positive for COVID-19. Production continued at the plant where final assembly on Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner is done.
“It will take time for the aerospace industry to recover from the crisis. When the world emerges from the pandemic, the size of the commercial market and the types of products and services our customers want and need will likely be different,” Calhoun said. “We will need to balance the supply and demand accordingly as the industry goes through the recovery process for years to come. It’s important we start adjusting to our new reality now.”
Airline passenger traffic was down 14 percent in from February to the year prior — “the steepest decline since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks,” according to UPI.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhat you should know about the coronavirus
The coronavirus is spreading in the United States. Officials are urging people to take precautions to avoid getting sick, and to avoid spreading the disease if they do contract it.
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What is coronavirus?
Coronavirus is an infection of the respiratory system similar to the flu. Coronaviruses are a class of viruses that regularly cause illnesses among adults and children, but this outbreak has spawned a new disease called COVID-19, a particularly harsh respiratory condition that can lead to death.
Health officials believe COVID-19 spread from animals to humans somewhere in China. It spreads among humans by physical person-to-person contact, including via coughs. That’s why health officials urge sick individuals to avoid contact with other people.
For more information, visit the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Symptoms are similar to the flu and include fever, coughing and shortness of breath.
How can I stop the spread of the coronavirus?
Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, and cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
If you develop symptoms similar to the coronavirus, you should seek medical attention. Stay home from work or school and avoid contact with others. It can take up to 14 days after coming into contact with the virus to develop symptoms.
COVID-19 is a new condition and there’s much about the disease we still don’t understand. For now, taking precautions is the best way to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Since early March, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) reported there have been 190 positive COVID-19 tests in Charleston County, the most of any county in South Carolina. One person died after testing positive in Charleston County, according to DHEC.
On Wednesday, 210 new cases of the coronavirus were reported in South Carolina, bringing the statewide total to 1,293 confirmed COVID-19 cases in 43 counties, according to DHEC.
DHEC also announced that four more people died after testing positive for the coronavirus, raising that total to 26 in less than a month. State health officials described 25 of the people as elderly, one person was middle-aged, and all but two had underlying medical conditions.
There have been 5,033 negative tests at DHEC’s public health laboratory.
As of Thursday afternoon, 998,047 people worldwide have been diagnosed with coronavirus and 51,335 people have died, while 208,630 recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States leads the world with 234,462 people who have been diagnosed with the novel virus. In the U.S. 5,607 deaths have been reported, including 1,374 in New York City, according to Johns Hopkins.
