Boeing will furlough a “large number” of senior executives, managers and other employees in the U.S., citing the ongoing machinists’ strike as the company struggles to maintain its liquidity, CEO Kelly Ortberg told employees Wednesday.

The forced furloughs would affect tens of thousands of Boeing employees, a company spokesman said.

The plan came less than a week after more than 30,000 Boeing machinists in the Seattle area and Oregon rejected a new labor contract and voted 96 percent in favor of a strike, walking off work shortly after midnight Friday.

Ortberg said the affected employees would receive one week of short-time work every four weeks for the duration of the strike and that he and his team would accept “appropriate” wage cuts for the duration of the strike.

“While this is a difficult decision that affects everyone, it is an effort to secure our long-term future and help us get through this very difficult time. We will continue to communicate transparently as this dynamic situation evolves and do everything we can to limit this hardship,” Ortberg said in his message.

Boeing’s Chief Financial Officer Brian West said earlier this week that the company would freeze new hiring and salary increases and temporarily lay off “non-essential contract workers” to cut costs.

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