KEY TAKEAWAYS Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told staffers that the airplane maker is temporarily furloughing employees based in the U.S.The furlough is aimed at preserving Boeing's cash, as the strike by machinists continues.

The company has about 170,000 employees nationwide, with nearly 67,000 in Washington, per Business Journal research. Selected workers will be furloughed for one week every four weeks, but will maintain health benefits. At the same time, Boeing leadership will take "commensurate" pay cuts, Ortberg said, without disclosing details.

Nonunion employees will experience one-week furloughs every four weeks as the troubled planemaker struggles to conserve cash.

As Boeing's machinists continue to strike, furloughs and pay reductions are in store for the rest of the company.

Boeing is furloughing tens of thousands of white-collar employees in an effort to cut costs and avoid a credit-rating cut in the midst of a strike by its largest union.The jet maker will furlough affected employees for one week out of every four weeks for the duration of the walkout,

Boeing’s CEO says the company will begin laying off a large number of employees to save cash during the strike by union machinists

Boeing may prevent its debt being downgraded to junk by issuing more stock, which would deal another blow to current shareholders.

Boeing will furlough tens of thousands of its executives, managers and others as more than 30,000 machinists intend to go on strike Friday in Seattle and Oregon.