The strike of 33,000 workers at airplane maker Boeing is starting to have a rippling effect on the U.S. aviation industry. According to the report by Financial Times, Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems intends to begin furloughs in three weeks if the strike doesn’t end by then.
Spirit AeroSystems produces the fuselage, the main body section of an airplane, for Boeing’s 737 Max. The fuselage gets shipped to Boeing’s factory for assembly, but there are currently no workers on site who could do that job.
At the beginning of the strike, Spirit AeroSystems felt comfortable as it was behind the orders and used the downtime to catch up. However, the company feels that if no new orders keep coming after three weeks, it will become unfeasible to have all of its employees come to work, considering that more than 60% of its business relates to Boeing.
Boeing’s strike affected a lot of other businesses as airplane makers stopped making orders and told suppliers to halt the shipments of previously ordered parts.
Boeing workers represented by the District 751 chapter of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) union opted to go on strike on September 13 after the company didn’t fulfill their demands. The two sides are still engaged in negotiations that would result in a new deal and return to work, with a new round of talks being scheduled for Friday.