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.

Boeing said Wednesday it would start temporary furloughs of professional and white-collar staff as it seeks to conserve cash amid a labor strike that has shuttered Seattle manufacturing plants.Boeing plans for "selected employees to take one week of furlough every four weeks on a rolling basis for the duration of the strike,