Layoffs for workers at Boeing plants in Tulsa and McAlester delayed until next month

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) -- Layoffs at Boeing plants in Oklahoma and Kansas that were scheduled to begin Friday are now being delayed until next month.<br/><br/>The layoffs are at plants in Tulsa, McAlester

Wednesday, May 11th 2005, 1:04 pm

By: News On 6

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) -- Layoffs at Boeing plants in Oklahoma and Kansas that were scheduled to begin Friday are now being delayed until next month.

The layoffs are at plants in Tulsa, McAlester and Wichita, Kansas, that Boeing is selling to Canada-based Onex.

More than 8,000 workers at the three plants were told they would be laid off but could apply to work for Onex.

There are about 1,000 employees at the Tulsa plant and about 200 in McAlester.

The layoffs were scheduled to start Friday and continue through May 27, but the workers received a memo yesterday saying the layoffs will occur between June second and June 15th.

Onex spokesman Nigel Wright has said he expects the sale of the plants to close in early or mid-June and the company has said it plans to re-hire a majority of the Boeing workers.