Union wanted bigger 787 role

They assembled big chunks of the Boeing Co.'s new jet.

But the Machinists wanted to do more.

When Boeing unveils its new 787 Dreamliner on Sunday, its laborers - members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace workers- will mark the moment with much satisfaction, but a tinge of bitterness.

"This isn't just the Boeing Co. that is rolling this out," said Tom Wroblewski, head of the local IAM district. "This is our members rolling out this plane. They've got lots of pride in it."

The Machinists would have even more pride had Boeing approached its 787 as it has previous commercial jets. The planemaker moved away from an aluminum airframe riveted together by Machinists. It chose instead to make a mostly carbon-fiber composite aircraft.

Of significance to the Machinists, Boeing chose outside suppliers to build the bulk of the 787. The company relies on local Machinists only to piece those major structures together.

"It's a lot fewer jobs than what we've had in the past," Wroblewski said.

Four years ago, Boeing still hadn't made up its mind where to assemble its new jet. The Machinists joined forces with local and state leaders to persuade the company to pick Everett as the 787 final assembly site.

"We worked hard to land it here," Wroblewski said.

In the long run, the labor group felt shortchanged. Boeing sent outside suppliers much of the fabrication work and some of the assembly work that Machinists had hoped would end up being done locally.

"When all was said and done and the dust settled, we only had a portion of final assembly," Wroblewski said.

Boeing promised the creation of between 800 and 1,200 direct final assembly jobs on the 787 line. Wroblewski doesn't dispute that the company has kept that end of its promise.

And employment data definitely shows an upswing in aerospace employment and in Machinists employment over the past few years.

Since May 7, 2004, Boeing has brought on 9,755 Machinists. Just since the beginning of 2007, the company has added more than 2,600 Machinists to the payroll.

However, many of those newly hired Machinists work not on the 787 line but on other plane programs, such as the Everett-built 747 and 777. Following the industry downturn in 2001, Boeing laid off workers. When the economy turned around, the company started recalling many Machinists it had let go.

Machinists assigned to the 787 have been putting in 12-hour days to keep up their end of the bargain with Boeing - delivering the 787 on time next May to Japan's All Nippon Airways.

"We're working feverishly to roll out this plane," Wroblewski said. "They're working hard to make sure this thing gets delivered."