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 CEO Kelly Ortberg told employees earlier this week that the company would initiate temporary furloughs for a large number of U.S.-based employees who are not part of the strike. Boeing has planned for workers to take one week of furlough every four weeks on a rolling basis for the duration of the strike.

Around Boeing Co.’s vast aircraft manufacturing hub in Seattle, the great belt tightening has begun as the planemaker and its factory workers settle in for a labor dispute that will test the resolve of both sides.