Don’t begrudge Boeing workers

As a college graduate who is employed by Boeing, I feel duty-bound to respond to Ms. Milano’s letter regarding Boeing’s severance package to the workers no longer considered essential to build commercial airplanes (“Aerospace workers get special treatment,” Oct. 19). One of the reasons that Boeing attracts and employs a competent workforce is because it does offer an excellent severance package.

When people go to work for a business, it is hoped that the work will last for a very long time. However, workers at Boeing realize that the nature of commercial aviation design and manufacturing is cyclical. They accept this partly with the knowledge that, should a downturn take place and they do face a layoff, they will not just be put out on the street with nothing but unemployment insurance to buffer the hardship.

This severance package has only recently become a part of the Boeing culture. During the cycle downturns prior to the last decade, Boeing would just lay-off workers without notice or any separation incentive. I was laid off in 1983 and the only funds available were 26 weeks of unemployment insurance.

The severance packages received by Boeing employees today during a normal cycle downturn came about by agreements between Boeing and its two major labor unions. It is a credit to the generosity of the company that a substantial severance package is also provided to the non-represented employees. The attacks on Sept. 11 caused an abnormal cycle downturn and Boeing was compelled to reduce headcount right away or face an even greater economic setback. And, because of the nature of this specific downturn Boeing was not obligated to honor any separation benefits, but they chose to anyway. God bless them for that.

I am sorry that Ms. Milano’s family had to endure a less pleasant layoff scenario, but she should not begrudge others. Please understand that the events of Sept. 11 have set into motion a downturn in commercial aviation that may last for several years. Thousands of the Boeing engineering, technical and manufacturing jobs will never be recovered.

Marysville

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