Dreamliner Production Site Decision Could Hang In The Balance

The International Association of Machinists representing workers at Boeing's newly-acquired assembly facility in Charleston, SC, has agreed to a September 10th vote to de-certify the union.

If the union is scrapped, the non-union shop could compete directly with the company's unionized Everett, WA plant, for new work on the Dreamliner.

The Seattle Times reports that the vote was called for by Dennis Murry, a quality inspector at the South Carolina facility. He said he was dissatisfied with a contract pushed through by the union last year without a lot of input from union members. Murray said the contract was weak.

Some union workers have been resentful of the contract, negotiated with Vaught before the plant was sold, which includes provisions for only small raises and bonuses, the latter at the discretion of management. "I want people to have a fair voice in what happens to them," said Murray. "That's the position a union traditionally fights for. In this case, it's the workers fighting against the union to achieve that."

Boeing chairman Jim McNerney has said that union issues will play a major role in determining where Boeing will open a second Dreamliner assembly plant. But industry analysts doubt the decision will be made on that factor alone.  They say that the Charleston area has a less experienced workforce, and getting the South Carolina facility up to speed would require a large outlay of money for capital improvements.

Boeing labor relations spokesman Tim Healy said "facts and data" would be shared with the workers spelling out differing treatment of union and non-union workers at Boeing. "We'll tell them we prefer to deal with our employees directly, without an intermediary," he said.  IAM national aerospace coordinator Mark Blondin expressed confidence that the SC workers would choose to continue with the union. "Facts don't lie," he said. "Boeing does not treat non-union workers well."

FMI: www.boeing.com