Boeing is a global aerospace company, ranked as the second maker of commercial jets and the number two defense contractor.

In April 2009, Boeing announced that they would be cutting production of their 777s to five airplanes each month, down from seven, in June 2010, as well as delaying increased production of their 747-8s and 767s because of recent economic woes.FOXBusiness.com: Boeing To Cut 777 Production; Delay Increases Of 747s, 767s

Boeing was founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing as Pacific Aero Products Co. The headquarters were set in Seattle, Washington. During World War II, Boeing became important due to building many of the United States bomber planes. During this time period, many of the workers were women, whose husbands were fighting in the war. IN 1997, Boeing merged with McDonnell Douglas and in 2001, the headquarters were moved to Chicago, Illinois.

In 2002, the University of Massachusetts declared Boeing as the 13th largest air polluter in the United States. The United States Environmental Protection Agency linked Boeing to at least twenty Superfund toxic waste sites. Boeing has been found to have been contaminated with toxic and radioactive waste at their Santa Susana Field Laboratory in Ventura, California.

On January 28, 2009, Boeing announced plans to cut 10,000 jobs in 2009—or roughly 6% of its workforce. According to reports, about 4,500 of the jobs to be eliminated are in Boeing's commercial airplanes division; the remainder will be cut from other areas of the company.CNNMoney.com: Boeing to cut 10,000 jobs (January 28, 2009) Boeing also reported a fourth-quarter 2008 loss of $56 million.MSNBC: Boeing reports big loss, cutting 10,000 jobs