EVERETT – The Boeing Co.’s unions say they’re concerned about not only upcoming contract talks but also the aerospace company’s outsourcing strategy.
Boeing is adopting the “exact wrong” strategy by relying more on foreign suppliers and focusing less on retaining its skilled workforce in this country, said Ray Goforth, executive director of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace.
Leaders of SPEEA and Boeing’s Machinists union held a conference call with media and investors Tuesday. Together, the two unions represent more than 40,000 workers Boeing workers in the Puget Sound region. Both labor groups will negotiate new three-year contracts with Boeing later this year, as the company works to get its new 787 Dreamliner jet in the air.
Boeing forged partnerships in Asia and Europe for the 787, handing over both design and production responsibilities to major suppliers. Workers in Everett piece together major assemblies shipped in from all over the world. Supply chain issues and production problems have delayed Boeing’s 787 by at least 15 months – a result that Boeing’s unions say constitutes a “failure.”
The fuel-efficient 787 has won nearly 900 orders and has not yet seen a cancellation despite delays. But the unions argue that cancellations may come if the end product doesn’t live up to what Boeing promised.
The company has pegged the fourth quarter for the Dreamliner’s first flight.
The Machinists contract with Boeing expires Sept. 3. The union went on strike for 28 days in 2005 after negotiations with Boeing failed. SPEEA’s contract expires Dec. 1. The engineers union last went on strike against Boeing in 2000 for 40 days.
Boeing and the Machinists began preliminary contract negotiations months earlier than they have in previous years. The aerospace company has submitted a draft of its health care proposal already – a step it usually doesn’t take until a week or two before the Machinists vote on the contract.
Still, Mark Blondin, aerospace coordinator for the Machinists, expressed disappointment with talks so far with Boeing.
“The talks aren’t bearing any fruit,” Blondin said.
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