The aging workforce, the shrinking knowledge base

More than half of the Boeing Co machinists at its fighter-jet plant in St. Louis, Missouri, have signed up to take voluntary buyouts, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said on Friday.

About 1,300 of the 2,300 machinists at the St. Louis plant had signed up for the plan by a recent deadline, but not all who signed up will take it as some will reconsider their options, the IAM said.

Boeing confirmed that it had offered the buyout to certain workers who met eligibility requirements, and that not all of the workers were expected to leave.