Time To Take On The Bully Boeing

If you don’t take care of yourself no one else is going to do it for you. This is where the union comes into play. In the world of work, this is the one entity that has been developed to help the working man and woman. It is in no way a perfect organization, but without it American workers are left to the wolves. You see this when companies set up manufacturing in states that view unions as the enemy.

All you have to do is look at what is happened in Wisconsin or Detroit or here in Everett. American companies are making record profits, but they are doing any and everything in their power not to give anything back to their workers or the communities that support them while their CEOs make 1000% more than their average worker.

Boeing in our state is making more money than it knows what to do with, but it wants concessions from the state and from its workers. They talk out of both sides of their mouths as they shout that their workers need to be trained in math and science be it here in Washington or in South Carolina. Yet, they are unwilling to contribute to the public education system in any meaningful way.

They are too busy putting dollar bills in the pockets of politicians instead of contributing to public schools with their tax revenues.  They must be courted because other states are so desperate for Boeing that they are willing to give the company free or highly subsidized land for their manufacturing facilities. These states are ready to push through or already pushed through right to work legislation that all but makes it impossible for unions to function and thrive for hard working hourly employees.

This is business in the 21^st Century, but it resembles late 19^th and early 20^th century business practices. At some point, someone needs to stand up and say the emperor has no clothes. That someone must be in a position of power in the industry or government for that idea to register with the public. To be effective, this aforementioned maneuver must originate with a coalition of groups that must work together to bring these travesties to light. This is where the media comes into play.

Here in Everett, the Herald has brought up some of these issues, but they too often treat Boeing with kid gloves. It is sad to see the fourth estate has become so demure in its reporting. 60 Minutes once a bulldog in reporting the issues has become a shadow of itself. It is time for the American workers to stand up to these bullies. Boeing is not the company it once was. It has no connection to Puget Sound region.  I wonder what Bill Boeing would say about what has happened to his company.

I do not know what is going to happen when machinist in District 751 vote on Boeing’s counter proposal; it matters not; Boeing has already won. They have put fear in the machinists, the politicians and too many of us in the Everett area. I can see them rejecting the vote to flex their muscles. This way they can show the 22 other states and workers what is at stake. But, what will that do to their long-term employment?

More than that, Boeing has some big, bad secrets that are not that secret: all 787’s built in South Carolina must be flown to Everett to be completed. Errors and the lack of skilled workers back on east coast make it impossible for Boeing to fly 787’s directly to customers without first coming to Everett. They can say that is the fact that the planes need to be painted, but it is more than that.

Moreover, Boeing loves South Carolina because it can pay the workers so much less, and corporate is trying to use this fact as leverage against the Everett plant and its workers. I’d like to see our news organizations start investigating Boeing and their management practices as well as the production situation in regards to the 787 in Everett and Charlestown.

However, that would mean taking on a large multinational company and seriously investigating how it works. Why Boeing has decided to attack and punish the workers that have put it in the position of being one of the most profitable companies in the world not just the United States. On the surface, this seems daunting, but there are people in the company at all levels willing to share their stories. We need someone unafraid of embarrassing Boeing. It is time to take off the gloves and reveal the truth behind the curtain because they have shown their willingness to abandon Washington and its trained work force.

Where Are Our Visionaries?

We are no longer a people of action destined for great things. We are a people of talkers destined to talk about some incident until no one can hear it or cares to hear it. And, when we take action, a faction of American politicians and pundits do everything in their power to derail and demonize any program or idea that does not fit into their limited scope no matter how positively it will impact the country as a whole be it healthcare or food programs or highway and bridge repair or NASA.

As a nation that one time set its sights on the moon and beyond that built the largest transportation infrastructure the world has ever seen, we have become rather pedestrian in our present visions. We still build the deadliest weapons ever imagined, but we no longer seem to have the ability to see the big picture as far as society stands. Politicians are unable and unwilling to take risks to propel us forward.

We are trapped in a twenty-four hour news cycle. We can only see the small and petty. We do not trust each other and can longer no come together to better society and more forward.  There is no way for people from differing ideologies to step up and compromise. It is this my way or the highway philosophy that signals the decline of a once great country, which brought together divergent opinions to drive the ideals and ideas of America forward. It is a sad and disheartening time to be an American.

As a country and a society we are at a crossroads. We are at a place that where politicians in so called leadership positions want to jettison many of the beliefs that the government is here for the benefit of society. I realize that in 1980 Ronald Reagan signaled the beginning of the end in terms of the benefits of modern government as far as creating a safety net to protect all Americans no matter their situation. Today, there are far too many politicians that want to punish Americans that they deem as being unproductive and a drain on society while giving away more and more of the American Dream to corporate America.

This is nothing new as societies go throughout history. The powerful always use their influence and position to protect and enhance their interests on the backs of the weakest in society, and when the government sides with the wealthiest, then, we as a society have to decide if we really want to go this way and penalize the lowest on the economic scale.

Starting in the 20^th century the American experiment became an idea that wealth could be spread through more of society under the guidance of the government. American capitalism was never purely a libertarian ideal. Throughout American history the government has stepped in and regulated commerce and behavior. Sometimes to the benefit of the wealthiest and sometimes to the benefit of the poorest. There has always been volatility between the classes, which is why governmental interventions are used to stabilize economic tensions. In the last 6 years, we the people just made 10 billion dollars from GM by giving them a loan to prevent bankruptcy. This is not the first time the government has stepped in to help business.

So we have to ask ourselves the question, “Is government the problem or the solution?” This is a critical moment in history where we are faced with important decisions that will determine the trajectory of our society for a generation. The battle over government intervention will get uglier before it gets better. The distrust and anger is palpable. But, as Americans, we must take on this problem.

Healthcare is the first and foremost issue for Americans today. The lies and misrepresentation of the new system are flying across the air waves. It is these extreme views that are helping to eat away at the fabric of our society. And, it is the average American that will be hurt by all these attacks and misrepresentations.

It is disgusting that politicians and pundits alike are lying through their teeth and want to refuse to help their fellow citizens. The majority of these talking heads have never missed a meal or been denied medical coverage in their lives. They are unable or unwilling to empathize with others who are hurting and not being served by the capitalistic system in its present configuration.

In their world, there is no room for hungry children, there is no room for the uninsured and sick in our country. It is time for those in power to get off their high horse and see what it is like at the bottom rung of the ladder. All Americans need to look beyond our on individual needs and think about the needs of society.  This idea is not communism or socialism.  It is humanitarianism. We will send food and supplies half world away but we will not feed or cloth or immunize an American child in need.

In the future, where will the visionaries come? Who will work for the greater good of society whether it is to develop the next extraordinary space mission or take care of the sick, hungry and tired? Have those words emblazoned on the Statue of Liberty become fiction?