During the strike, which involved 33,000 union machinists and began in September, Boeing placed thousands of salaried employees on furlough. This action was taken as production of the popular 737 MAX was halted. Subsequently, the company rescinded the unpaid leave after revealing intentions to eliminate 17,000 jobs.
In an email to employees, which was reviewed by Reuters, Ortberg expressed gratitude for their sacrifices, stating, "Your sacrifice made a difference and helped the company bridge to this moment. We want to acknowledge your support by returning your lost pay if you went on unpaid furlough."
As Boeing proceeds with its workforce reductions, it faces challenges related to employee morale, with many staff members expected to receive notifications regarding their job status this month.
Ortberg emphasized the necessity of these structural changes, stating, "We will continue forward with our previously announced actions to reduce our workforce levels to align with our financial reality and a more focused and streamlined set of priorities. These structural changes are important to our competitiveness and will help us deliver more value to our customers over the long term."
A representative from the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, which advocates for Boeing engineers, indicated that its members would receive 60-day notices of job losses on November 15.
On Monday, Boeing secured ratification of a contract that grants its machinists a 38% salary increase over four years along with a $12,000 bonus, effectively concluding the strike. Those workers are expected to return by November 12. While Boeing has not yet announced a timeline for resuming production of the 737 MAX, it has indicated that the process will be gradual and subject to regulatory oversight.
The company has incurred nearly $8 billion in losses this year as it continues to address a quality crisis stemming from a mid-air panel blowout incident in January.
"We have hard work ahead to restore our company and deliver on our customer commitments, but we are on the right path and making the right changes," Ortberg wrote.
Last month, Boeing secured $24 billion in new capital to strengthen its financial position. Ortberg mentioned that he is currently evaluating Boeing's operations and long-term projections.
The company might consider divesting certain assets while reducing its workforce to concentrate on its primary civil aircraft manufacturing and essential defense sectors.
Ortberg's message was previously disclosed by the Air Current, a publication focused on the aviation industry.