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 asked to include SPEEA employees in company-wide furloughs, despite a stipulation in the union contract that prevents them.

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