Ending a strike involving more than 30,000 of Boeing's Seattle-area workers is "a top priority" for the aviation giant, chief executive Kelly Ortberg said in a message to staff Friday."Ending the strike is a top priority,

Boeing said furloughs began on Friday for thousands of employees in Washington State and Oregon, after more than 32,000 workers went on strike last week, halting production of the U.S. planemaker's best-selling 737 MAX and other jets.

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

The strike at Boeing by 33,000 members of the International Association of Machinists union, which reaches its seventh day today, has already cost the company and workers $572 million, according to an estimate from Anderson Economic Group.

"I've never seen Boeing do that before. They might be feeling the pinch, feeling the hurt a little bit, you know--trying to save some money after spending so much money on four CE