Boeing Co. has fired 65 employees and disciplined 53 others between June 2020 and April 21, 2021 over “racist, discriminatory or otherwise hateful conduct,” according to a Friday announcement and report from the airplane manufacturing company.
The news arrives after Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun said the company would have “zero tolerance” toward such behavior in a pledge he made in June 2020 following the murder of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter protests during that time.
“There is no place for hate within our company, and we will keep expecting the best from everyone in their interactions with one another,” Calhoun said in a release.
The report says the firings follow the creation of Boeing’s Diversity Equity Task Force and “diversity equity plan.” Boeing also shared a diversity breakdown, showing 69% of its employees are white, while 6% are Black, 7% are Hispanic, 14% are Asian and another 4% are listed as “other.”
“As we have witnessed horrific images in the news and heard heartbreaking stories from our people, our determination to advance equity, diversity and inclusion has only become stronger,” the report reads. “It is clear we have an opportunity to be a force for change within our walls and in our communities — and we are taking an important step forward today.”
