Boeing Defense Jobs In St Louis At Risk? Amid Trump Criticism, Headquarters Moving To Washington, DC

Boeing will be relocating its headquarters from St. Louis to Washington, D.C., the defense manufacturing giant announced Tuesday. However, Boeing has planned to maintain its manufacturing plant in St. Louis, making clear that existing jobs there would be secure after some operations are transferred to the nation's capital.

"There were will no change to the day to day operations at the St. Louis site," Boeing spokesperson Philip Carder told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Tuesday.

However, the senior leadership team of executives will be leaving St. Louis, the Washington Post reported. Its corporate headquarters will remain in Chicago.

The news of the move came about a week after President-elect Donald Trump chastised Boeing for how much it was costing the government to have a new series of Air Force One presidential planes manufactured. He even called for the contract with the givernment to be canceled. Trump blasted the company via a tweet and suggested Boeing was "doing a number" on taxpayers, who foot the bulk of the bill.

It was only announced last month that Boeing planned on beefing up its labor line in St. Louis by adding 500 jobs from its operations in California. The number of Boeing employees in St. Louis was about 14,000 prior to the new employees being added.

"This decision highlights our commitment to more strategically engage with customers and decision makers," Boeing spokesperson Todd Blecher told Defense One, which first reported news of the move.

Jobs at Boeing's St. Louis manufacturing plant have long been the subject of concern by employees there. When the company lost out on an $80 billion contract to build a new generation of long-range bombers last year, the possibility of lay-offs became very real, the labor union head who represents many Boeing workers told International Business Times at the time.

"Yes, this deal hurts my Boeing members,” Steve McDerman, president of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers' local St. Louis chapter, said.

Boeing is expected to begin moving its headquarters by Jan. 3, 2017.