ST. LOUIS — More than 100 local workers at Boeing learned they're out of a job this week. It's part of a 17,000 employee reduction nationwide.
Boeing is one of the largest employers in the bi-state. It boasts some 16,000 employees spanning from North County to St. Charles and into the Metro East. Now a small percentage of them are out of work, a little more than a month before Christmas.
There were protests as recent as this month, where Boeing workers demanded better pay amid furloughs and word layoffs could be on the horizon.
After reaching a deal, some 100 local workers arrived to work Thursday only to get the pink slip.
"We had been hearing about it for a while now,” said Kenneth Riddick with the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment. “We are going to do everything to help them find their pathway, whatever it may be.”
Boeing workers create several military aircraft and weapons systems. The company says a delay in the 777X commercial aircraft being delivered is to blame for cutting staff.
According to the St. Louis Business Journal, 104 of the workers laid off in our area are assembly mechanics and 7 are process mechanics who paint parts.
Although it’s easy to panic, experts say workers who find themselves suddenly on the job market, should do this.
"Take a deep breath, step back a little bit,” Riddick said. "There are various employers out there right now that I'm sure are going to be looking for them to re-employ them and we're such an aeronautical hub for a lot of manufacturers that there may be some opportunities immediately for some."
Career coaches said sudden unemployment in some cases can lead to new paths altogether.
"This is an opportunity where I wouldn’t have otherwise changed direction in my career and maybe this is a golden opportunity to do something that I've always wanted to do,” said Lauren Herring with Impact Group.
"They're a good corporate citizen… they're important to our St. Louis economy. They're important to our national economy… We have confidence that Boeing is going to come through this difficult time,” Herring added.
The local Boeing workers let go will continue to be paid and receive health benefits through mid-January.
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