$2 Million Federal Grant Awarded to Help Displaced Boeing Workers
According to Employment Security, a Federal grant has been awarded to help them assist Boeing workers who were laid off.
The grant will go to Worksource of Snohomish-King County, Future Workforce of Snohomish County, and other unemployment sources.
According to ESD, in January unemployed aerospace workers made up 2.6 percent of the state's jobless, and 2.9 percent in King and 12.6 in Snohomish Counties. ESD claims they don't have the resources to adequately deal with the volume of workers.
The October, 2024 worldwide layoffs by Boeing let go 17,000 workers which is a ten percent reduction of their total workforce. Of those, 2,192 were in WA State. The vast majority of the workers were left on the payroll for two months, give severance packages, and subsidized health benefits that lasted just into 2025.
According to ESD, the funds will support a nationwide employment and services outreach program working with Boeing and supply chain employers as well as educational institutions.
While the exact number of machinists let go is not known, 33,000 of them participated in the crippling strike that brought about significant budget and worker cuts, which in turn led to the layoffs. Officials say there will be some machinists included in the layoffs.
The Federal money is part of the National Displaced Worker Grant program.
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Gallery Credit: Andrew Lisa