ALGONA, Wash. -- Boeing machinists are being blamed for a number of layoffs that some are calling a ripple effect of the machinist union strike.

When Boeing machinists walked off the job 18 days ago, their halt put the Northwest's entire aerospace industry in a tail spin.

This week Primus International took a hit and laid off 40 percent of its workforce.

"We build Boeing parts, so it's all related together. You know, they don't work, we don't work," said Ron Pilot, a Primus worker.

Protective Coatings in Kent is another Boeing subcontractor hit by fallout from the labor strike.

"It takes its toll here as well. We're actually down about 15-percent," said Don DeVaney, the company's vice president.

Pro-Coat laid off 58 people in recent weeks after Boeing went idle. And more job losses could be on the way.

"I think it could definitely mean more layoffs in the aerospace industry. The people that we know, and our customers, and others likewise, I think they are suffering right now," said Eric Scheider, a subcontractor.

Scheider says he began seeing industry-wide layoffs the moment Boeing machinists picked up picket signs.

"The layoffs here are directly because of the employees strike, directly. And it's the same thing with the other larger aerospace companies around here," he said.

Boeing and the machinists union have reached a standstill in their talks over workers' pay, benefits and job security issues. It's a tense wait-and-see situation for workers at Boeing's supplier companies.