By Janice Podsada
Herald Writer
EVERETT — Sean Goulden doesn’t want his 94-mile commute from Bainbridge Island to the Everett Boeing plant to come to an end.
When his commute ends, so will his paycheck and the peace of mind that comes from knowing this month’s mortgage is in the bank.
After a two-year layoff from Boeing, Goulden, 36, an assembly mechanic, was called back to work two weeks ago at Everett’s Boeing plant.
"I had to quit another job to start here," said Goulden, a father of four.
Goulden told his story to U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., of Snohomish County, who stood outside the Everett Boeing plant Wednesday and asked workers about their mood, along with what they thought the federal government should do to shore up the airline industry.
Boeing announced the previous day that it plans to lay off up to 30,000 workers.
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"We’re in the brainstorming stage in terms of addressing this right now in Congress," Larsen said, referring to the $15 billion assistance package the federal government has promised the airlines. "I’m flying back to D.C. tonight."
Federal approval of the package and the details of its distribution should move through government channels at the speed of light, Larsen told workers.
"We’ve got the support of the Democrats and Republicans and the president," he said. "We’re not just talking about airlines, we’re talking about families with kids."
Goulden was one of many Boeing workers whose family, children and house payments depend upon keeping their jobs.
"I was waiting for this break — I figured Boeing had recovered. Now I’m beside myself," Goulden said.
Goulden and other workers at the plant Wednesday wondered where they will stand three weeks from now when the first of the 30,000 pink slips go out.
Goulden, who quit his job as an electrician at McChord Air Force Base near Tacoma, said that job ended when he gave his notice. "It was contract work. It’s over."
His somber mood matched hundreds of other Boeing workers who filed out of the plant Wednesday after many had learned of the massive layoffs through TV and newspaper headlines.
Many workers said the layoffs were unexpected.
If Boeing’s recent corporate exodus to Chicago stung like a slap in the face, the prospect of company-wide layoffs felt like a sucker punch.
Workers on the floor, where the 767s are assembled, wired and fussed over like newborns, said they were shocked.
"There have been so many raw emotions here because of the national situation. This was another blow," said Scott Dolan, a union steward.
The biggest questions being asked were which divisions will take the biggest hits, and how will management decide who gets cut.
Historically, the Boeing Co. has relied upon worker seniority to determine who stays and who goes.
As long as retired Boeing employee Wally Dunn of Camano Island can remember, Boeing’s policy has been the last one hired is the first one fired.
Dunn’s 15 years with the company taught him, "if you work for Boeing, you’ve got to expect layoffs."
Dunn has tried to impart that message to his three sons who work at the Everett plant.
"If they would just set some money aside. You can’t just live paycheck to paycheck."
Many employees were obsessively tallying up their years with the company Wednesday and wondering out loud whether their jobs were secure.
"You have to have seven or eight years here to even begin to feel safe," Goulden said
J.D. Erxleben, a 767 mechanic, who’s worked there 13 years, pondered the fate of the airline industry and Boeing, whose fortunes are bound together like twins who share a heart.
"If my job is in danger — and I’ve been here 13 years — then Boeing’s about to close their doors," Erxleben said.
Sometimes, airplane orders pick up in the midst of a downturn and the layoffs stop in mid-stream, Boeing employee Allan Winters said.
What would it take to turn the tide?
For one, letting everyone know that airports are very secure right now, Erxleben said.
Most importantly, he said, "It’s going to take people to start flying again."
You can call Herald Writer Janice Podsada at 425-339-3029 or send e-mail to podsada@heraldnet.com.
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