State of the union

Published 9:00 pm Saturday, March 31, 2007

I sat down a few weeks ago with the Machinists’ Mark Blondin. China had just announced it planned to pursue a large commercial jet program, one that eventually will compete with Boeing and Airbus.

Blondin says Boeing is partly at fault for creating Chinese competition. The company’s outsourcing of work to China reflects poor business and ethical decisions by the company, Blondin says.

“At 30,000 feet, I don’t think the flying public wants to see it outsourced,” Blondin said.

By Western standards, China still struggles with human rights issues. Its workers are largely non-unionized and aren’t paid a wage comparable to those in the United States, he said. Unions ensure employers provide health care, pension plans and fair wages for their members. With greater competition, companies have tried to avoid unionized workforces. Consequently, the American middle class has deteriorated as unions have declined, he said.

Blondin blames Airbus for some of Boeing’s switch to outsourcing. With its alleged government subsidies, Airbus was able to price its planes below Boeing, leading Boeing to look elsewhere for lower labor costs, he said.