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.