OLYMPIA — Democratic state lawmakers don’t plan on changing their attitude toward Boeing next year just because the company decided to build Dreamliner jets in South Carolina rather than Everett.
“We’re not going to panic like a flock of birds,” said Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish.
He and other lawmakers continued to insist Thursday that nothing could have been done by the Legislature in the 2009 session to prevent the outcome.
“There was a sense of inevitability that no matter what we did one way or another, they were headed out of the state,” said Rep. Mike Sells, D-Everett.
Republicans still view it differently, contending a number of actions by the majority party and Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire contributed to Boeing’s decision.
“Absolutely they need an attitude adjustment,” said Senate Minority Leader Mike Hewitt, R-Walla Walla.
Wednesday’s decision is stirring a lot of emotion. When lawmakers of both parties gather for meetings in Olympia on Dec. 1 and 2, there is sure to be conversations among Democrats on what, if anything, they should do differently in 2010.
“We do have to change the way we think. Not to say ‘Boeing is gone, let’s go get Airbus.’ We need to find the middle ground between the interests of business and labor,” said state Sen. Jean Berkey, D-Everett.
Republicans think Democrats botched things up good last session by not swiftly reforming unemployment insurance or trying to lower companies’ costs for workers compensation. Workers comp will be another battle in 2010, they said.
Democrats also gave Boeing executives a reason to frown by pushing a bill that would have allowed employees to skip company meetings where managers might be speaking against unionization.
Gregoire and the leaders of the House and Senate killed that bill after a labor leader’s e-mail ignited a State Patrol investigation into possible influence-peddling. No wrongdoing was found.
Sells, an author of the legislation, said it didn’t affect Boeing’s decision because the firm got what it wanted when the legislation died.
He is one of many Democratic lawmakers who think Boeing needs to change its attitude and stop threatening to fly away if they don’t get everything they want.
“Is it always going to be their way or the highway and that’s it on these issues or will there be some more talking with us?” he said.
If Democrats don’t recalibrate their approach in 2010 it could dim the state’s prospects of winning future competitions such as building the next generation of 737 aircraft, business leaders said.
“Replaying who lost Boeing is a pretty useless exercise. What we need to do is figure out what makes the state more competitive,” said Richard Davis, coordinator of the Washington Alliance for a Competitive Economy.
Linda Lanham, executive director of the Aerospace Futures Alliance, said this week’s decision has “got to be a wake-up call.”
“If they have an attitude that they don’t need to improve the competitiveness of Washington state, it will give companies a reason not to stay here,” she said.
Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com.
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