U.S. Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su flew to Seattle today to try to ease a Boeing machinists strike, as thousands of employees face layoffs and a major airline reacted with alarm to the planemaker’s deepening turmoil. Su’s first in-person intervention, reported by Reuters and confirmed by the Labor Department, comes days after Boeing – dealing with a crippling strike now in its fifth week – unveiled plans to cut 17,000 jobs and take $5 billion in charges, continuing a year of tumult for the company.