Thursday night updates
Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, September 7, 2005
Boeing just released an Alan Mulally memo outlining his thoughts on the strike, and I’m waiting for a call back from the union for its reaction. Should make for good reading tomorrow — check it out. (Even better, spend 35 cents and check out the whole Herald.)
While I wait, here are some updates.
Boeing marketing VP Randy Tinseth talked with investors at a conference in New York Thursday, saying essentially that it’s too early to know what impact the strike will have on the company.
Both CBS MarketWatch http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B9B832643-0551-4FCD-930C-B38B497E95CA%7D and FlightInternational http://www.flightinternational.com/Articles/2005/09/07/Navigation/177/201424/Boeing+tight-lipped+on+effects+of+mechanics+strike.html reported on his presentation:
Key Quote (from MarketWatch): “Boeing is willing to return to negotiations with the union to reach a ‘reasonable’ contract agreement, Tinseth said.”
Key Quote (from Flight:) “Meanwhile IAM is calling for the company to reopen negotiations and reiterated its resolve not to back down. ‘Our picket lines are strong, and will remain that way until we win,’ it said on 5 September.”
MarketWatch also reports http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7BB90EE848-4DE3-4654-B938-53214FAA62C5%7D that Rolls Royce and GE are continuing to build engines for Boeing at a normal pace.
Key Quote: “General Electric Co. … which is the largest producer of engines for Boeing, has said it will continue to build and ship engines at its normal rate through the end of September. If the strike persists then GE will build the engines and store them at its own facilities.”
In New Zealand, the Dominion-Post (which is indeed in Wellington) continues to be all over the Air-New-Zealand’s-777-are-gonna-be-late story. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3404277a13,00.html The paper reports that the airline plans to seek compensation from Boeing for the delay in getting its first 777-200ER.
Key Quote: “The aircraft was to be handed over on October 3, but Boeing told the airline that it could no longer meet that deadline. It is yet to advise a new date.”
