Not Yet

A memo being passed around at Boeing's commercial aircraft plant in Wichita, KS, says the much-anticipated sale of that facility and two others in Oklahoma won't take place this year after all.

According to the Wichita Eagle, the memo says Boeing executives won't have a decision on selling the three properties until early next year -- leaving thousands of workers in limbo over the holidays.

"The year has been marked... by the process of deciding whether to sell the BCA Wichita/Tulsa Division," the memo said. "The process is very complex, though, and Boeing wants to be sure that all aspects of this decision are considered," it said. "We now expect a decision early in 2005."

There was no indication in the memo who might buy the plants in Wichita, Tulsa and McAlester, OK. GKN PLC, Carlyle Group, Vought Aerospace and Onex Corp. have all been mentioned as possible buyers. But GKN PLC, a British firm, pulled out of talks with Boeing, saying flat-out it would no longer pursue the deal.

What happens to the workers in each of those plants obviously has a lot to do with the identity of the buyer. As a result, this will be a tense holiday season, according to a leader of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA). No one knows how much to put under the tree, nor how much to spend on travel this year. All they do know is that their fate, in the balance for much of this year, will continue to hang a bit longer.

FMI: www.boeing.com