Murray trying to get Boeing and union together again

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray this morning invited leaders of the Boeing Co. and the Machinists union to her office in hopes of restarting their talks on an agreement to secure a second production line for the Dreamliner 787 in Washington.

“The Machinists union has agreed to come. We’re waiting to hear back from Boeing,” said Alex Glass, Murray’s communications director.

Murray spoke with a Boeing executive Tuesday night and was given no indication a decision had been made on the siting of the second line, Glass said.

This morning, in a phone interview on KING-5 TV, Murray said she believed the two sides “are within an inch” of an agreement that would satisfy the Boeing Co. desire for a “stable workforce” in Washington.

Murray sounded as if she knew intimate details of the union’s position though she would not disclose any.

“It’s too close to turn down,” she said.