Whidbey Island’s second biggest employer isn’t within county limits.

Approximately 900 Boeing employees commute from the island to the Everett plant, although officials say the impacts of the ongoing strike and impending layoffs are hard to calculate but will likely be negative for the local economy.

One place Boeing’s woes have been felt on the island is at Island Transit, where staff is advocating to change policies to mitigate costs for rideshare groups during the strike.

Machinists initiated a labor strike in September, asking for higher wages and the reinstatement of a defined-benefit pension plan. Last month, Boeing announced plans to cut around 10% of its global workforce, around 17,000 positions, to address financial losses and operation inefficiencies.

On Oct. 23, Boeing workers voted 64% against a proposed contract offering a 35% wage increase over four years, a $7,000 sign-on bonus and pension plan enhancements. The ongoing strike has halted the assembly of aircraft models such as the 737, 777 and 767, with a total net loss in the third quarter of 2024 of $6.1 billion, according to the Associated Press.

Many Boeing employees who live on Whidbey Island declined to comment.

Despite fewer commuters, ferry numbers are up across the board compared to this time last year. Justin Fujioka, Washington State Ferries content manager, said the strike has had little to no impact on commuting numbers in the ferry system.

Island Transit tells a different story. The majority of its 30 rideshare vans commute to Everett to the Boeing plant and have been idling since the strike.

Selene Muldowney-Stratton, Island Transit’s communications officer, said staff is working with commuters to help them retain their van reservations throughout the duration of the strike.

Island Transit allows ridesharers to reserve vehicles for 120-180 working days. At that time, staff reevaluates based on demand for the vehicles.

Muldowney-Stratton said they have given Boeing strikers three options: turn in the van, operate at a reduced ridership or pay to keep the vehicle on reserve until they return.

Other Island Transit vehicles are still in use at capacity, and the ones that are not are being paid to be parked and reserved, she said. The unknown duration of the strike has led to some uncertainty, but as a whole the impact has been minimal.

Many of the Boeing rideshare groups have been intact for years, she said.

“Our fantastic rideshare team, Staci and Joanna, will strive to keep the vans available if they disband and then help them regroup,” she said. “This is a challenging time for our commuters, and we are trying to mitigate our impact as much as we can within our abilities and policies.”