Boeing gets the love of lawmakers

Today, the state Senate plans to give a huge atta-boy to The Boeing Co. and its tens of thousands of workers then pass a resolution containing many of the compliments. Copies will be sent to the company and the leading unions like the machinists and engineers.

It's Senate Resolution 8676 and the prime sponsor is Senate Minority Leader Mike Hewitt of Walla Walla.

The tone is quite a bit different than a now-deceased House bill vowing to take away the company's tax breaks if it builds more Dreamliners outside the state than in Everett.

If you don't want to go to the link, here's the text:


WHEREAS, William E. Boeing was born in 1881 in Detroit, Michigan; and

WHEREAS, William Boeing left Yale Engineering College for the West Coast in 1903, the
same year the Wright Brothers made their first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina; and

WHEREAS, William Boeing began construction of a twin-float seaplane in his boathouse
in 1915; and

WHEREAS, On July 15, 1916, Boeing incorporated his business and one year later changed
the name to the Boeing Airplane Company; and

WHEREAS, That company has grown over the past century to become the world's leading
aerospace manufacturer and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined; and

WHEREAS, Boeing also designs and manufactures rotorcraft, missiles, satellites, electronic and defense systems, launch vehicles, and advanced information and communications systems; and

WHEREAS, Boeing has customers in more than 90 countries around the world and is one
of the largest importers in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Late last year the Boeing Company reached a major milestone with the first
flight of its 787 "Dreamliner"; and

WHEREAS, That tremendous achievement would not have been possible without the skill
and dedication of Boeing's talented and hard-working employees; and

WHEREAS, Each Boeing job supports two and a half additional jobs across our state; and

WHEREAS, The aerospace industry accounts for 15 percent of Washington state's economy
and one-sixth of our gross state product; and

WHEREAS, There are more than 250 aerospace-related companies in Washington; and

WHEREAS, there are more than 200,000 aerospace-related jobs in Washington, with direct
wages totaling 5.4 billion dollars and an economic impact of 36 billion dollars; and

WHEREAS, A new study shows the aerospace industry accounted for 28 percent of our
state's job growth from 2004 to 2008; and

WHEREAS, The Senate values these jobs and the people who hold them, and will make it
a priority to ensure Washington remains the best place to design, build, and market commercial airplanes;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate acknowledge
and honor the Boeing Company for its tremendous contributions to Washington's economy, the families of our state, and the vitality of our citizens; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted
by the Secretary of the Senate to Boeing Corporate Offices in Chicago, Boeing Commercial
Airplanes in Seattle, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace.