In 1989, Boeing employment in the Puget Sound region was at a record high of over 106,000 workers. In the early 1990s, amid a national recession and increased competition from Airbus, Boeing’s European competitor, the Boeing Company announced a 36% reduction to commercial aircraft production and a cut of 19,000 jobs in the region.

In this photo, recently inaugurated President Bill Clinton, left, and Speaker of the House and Washington representative Tom Foley, right, address a crowd at Boeing’s Everett plant one week after the Boeing Company had announced major layoffs. One of the major topics addressed was the struggling aviation industry and the impact of Airbus. President Clinton pledged to regulate the large subsidies which Airbus was receiving from European governments. Clinton stated that he believed Boeing’s layoffs could have been avoided if these unfair subsidies had been controlled.

Caption information sources: “Airbus Remarks Anger Europeans,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer: February, 24, 1993, p. B6; “We Need Your Help, Clinton Told,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer: February 23, 1993, p. A1
Caption information source: "Boeing and Washington's Aerospace Industry, 1934-2015,” by Jim Kershner, HistoryLink.org essay 11111.