Boeing’s engineer union announced on Wednesday (February 4) that the company informed employees last week of plans to consolidate 787 engineering in South Carolina as production of its popular twin-aisle jet increases.
The union emphasized that this move will shift around 300 jobs from unionized Washington state to a non-union state.
Non-union states, also known as “Right-to-Work” states, allow employees to choose not to join a union or pay union dues even if working for a unionized company, while still being legally employed.
Engineers in Washington state are represented by the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA).
Boeing’s two agreements with about 16,000 SPEEA members in Washington state are set to expire in October.
A Boeing spokesperson mentioned on Wednesday that, in addition to expanding engineers in South Carolina, the company also plans to recruit engineers in Washington state to boost production speed of its popular single-aisle 737 jets.
Ray Goforth, the Executive Director of SPEEA, expressed in a statement that Boeing’s announcement last week caught union officials off guard, as just a day prior, Boeing management assured the union that there would be no foreseeable impact on union members or jobs.
SPEEA has pressured Boeing to provide more details and ensure no layoffs will occur.
Goforth stated that this statement and subsequent silence “cast a shadow over the upcoming contract negotiations.”
According to records from Boeing, in 2025, the number of employees in South Carolina increased by about 10% to reach 9,059 employees.
Most hiring took place in the latter half of last year when the aircraft manufacturer increased the monthly production of 787 planes from 5 to 8, with plans to further increase to 10 this year.
Last year, Boeing hired a large number of employees only in South Carolina, while most other states saw layoffs, with Washington state experiencing the largest reduction with 2,500 fewer employees.
In December last year, Boeing added around 15,000 staff through the acquisition of supplier Spirit AeroSystems in Kansas and Oklahoma. Additionally, the company sold its subsidiary Jeppesen, a digital navigation services provider, leading to 3,900 job cuts.
As of the end of 2025, Boeing’s workforce was slightly below 182,000, with 65,000 employees in Washington state.
Following workforce adjustments, Boeing cut around 1,500 jobs last year, significantly lower than the 10% layoff plan announced by Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg at the end of 2024.
A source revealed to Reuters that Boeing would eliminate approximately 300 non-union supply chain positions this week as the company continues to adjust its workforce. The source indicated that some laid-off employees may eventually fill vacancies in other departments of the company.
A Boeing spokesperson stated in an email, “Boeing regularly reviews and adjusts its workforce to fulfill our commitments to customers and communities.”
(This article referenced reports from Reuters)