Posts
True blue Washington State is losing more of Boeing. A major state employer is shifting more of its production out of state-- to South Carolina.
The project that is being sent away is the 787 Dreamliner. Today, the plane is jointly being produced in South Carolina and Washington. In the future, the Everett, WA jobs will be shipped to South Carolina.
The company might have decided that it was no longer a good idea to produce in a blue state that has seen more than its fair share of rioting. And in a state where the governor has been unwilling to restore order.
The company’s crackerjack PR team has declared that slowing demand for the plane, imposed by the coronoavirus lockdowns, has dictated the decision.
Anyway, the Wall Street Journal has the story:
Boeing Co. BA 1.86% will set plans this week to consolidate 787 Dreamliner assembly in South Carolina, people familiar with the matter said, ending production of that jetliner in Washington state as the coronavirus pandemic saps demand for aircraft.
The decision carries significant implications for the Seattle-area economy and Boeing’s unionized workforce around Puget Sound. It wasn’t clear over what period of time the consolidation would play out, or how many employees might be affected by the move. Boeing could announce the plans as soon as this week, some of the people familiar with the matter said.
Boeing said in July that it was studying options to handle a slowdown in demand for the 787 that has led it to reduce production. A Boeing spokesman declined to comment late Tuesday on the study’s outcome.
Consolidating Dreamliner production in South Carolina would mark another step in the shift of the U.S. aerospace industry to southern states from the West Coast. Companies have already shed thousands of jobs in California while states including the Carolinas, Florida and Alabama have attracted aerospace businesses with less-clogged infrastructure and cheaper, nonunionized labor, including an Airbus SE assembly plant in Mobile, Ala.
As you noticed, Washington state workers are unionized. Workers in South Carolina are not. When you hear candidates talk about the need for more unions, keep this detail in mind,
How did Washington’s Gov. Inslee react? You guessed it, like a petulant child.
Here is his tweet, along with the response of some of his constituents. It’s an apt commentary on Democratic party politics today:
Let me be clear – when the market for airplanes comes back, Boeing must bring these jobs back to Washington state.
— Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) October 1, 2020
Let me be clear. You don’t get to order Boeing to do anything.
— Shashi Galore (@shashigette) October 2, 2020
What’s with Dems and their “Let me be clear” speeches like they are authoritarian parents?
— Elizabeth Gomez (@elizgomez) October 2, 2020
They are going to South Carolina. You lose !
— dustball⛪🙏🔯👬 (@mikelyates2435) October 2, 2020
3 comments:
Personally, I think the Seattle-area Boeing unionists should go on strike.
:-D
Where is AOC when we need her? Run 'em outta town, girl!
Inslee's a fool.
tw, there won't be any Boeing in Seattle for the unionists to strike. That bus/train has LEFT THE TERMINAL. And it ain't a-comin' back.
While I'm sure Boeing management has little love for the Machinist union, the real reason is probably the more mundane; the South Carolina plant only builds the 787, while Seattle (Everett actually) also builds the 747/767/777. If the demand for the 787 has dropped sufficiently that only one line/location is needed, then it makes sense from a business perspective to keep South Carolina running and furlough Everett 787 line. They have the 777X coming in line. Haven't heard an update recently on the status of the next generation (797?). Maybe that goes to Everett instead.
Post a Comment