Letters

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   HAVE YOUR SAY Feel strongly about something? Share it with the community by writing a letter to the editor. You’ll need to include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) We reserve the right to edit letters, but if you keep yours to 250 words or less, we won’t ask you to shorten it. If your letter is published, please wait 30 days before submitting another. Send it to: E-mail: letters@heraldnet.com Mail: Letters section The Herald P.O. Box 930 Everett, WA 98206 Fax: 425-339-3458 Have a question about letters? Contact Carol MacPherson (cmacpherson@heraldnet.com or 425-339-3472).   Published: Friday, November 7, 2008 BOEING It's management that's doing harm Regarding the Monday article, "Was strike the last straw?": Aerospace analyst Richard Aboulafia "envisions Boeing moving its commercial airplanes division to the southern states over the next decade." He further states: "As the car companies realized, it's easier to train flexible workers than it is to work with experienced but inflexible workers." The article further states: "During the strike, Boeing executives hinted that Aboulafia's assessment might be correct." With current discussions in the press about possible bankruptcy filings for all the major U.S. car companies, holding any of these up as an ideal model to emulate makes absolutely no sense. In fact, it can be reasonably argued that the incompetent management of the car companies has led to imminent potential disaster for them. And what about the management at Boeing? A brief Google search about Boeing leads to specific accounts of sexual misconduct in the executive suite, specific accounts of unethical and illegal activities involving certain tanker projects, and specific accounts of mismanagement of the outsourcing program involving the 787. Based on these observations, it is my opinion that the Machinists have not substantially harmed Boeing, but it appears that the management at Boeing has had significant problems. Perhaps the airlines and the unions at Boeing should join forces. As a specific suggestion, the airlines could help finance employees at Boeing to purchase a substantial, or controlling, interest in Boeing shares under an expanded Employee Stock Ownership Program ("ESOP"). Then the airlines and the unions could work together to hire good technical management to run Boeing. I am not an employee of Boeing, nor am I a member of any union, but simply wish to avoid stupid management decisions from wrecking another icon of U.S. industry. W. Banning Vail Bothell

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