Reactions pour in to Boeing-going-to-Carolina reports
• Published October 28, 2009
Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown calls it "troubling." Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire says it's not over yet. And the Machinists union says Boeing’s best choice for a second 787 line remains in Washington state.
But state Senate Republican Leader Mike Hewitt says Washington policy makers need to wake up as South Carolina lavishes tax breaks on Boeing that, he says, could give that state 3,800 jobs.
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Seattle, says she is trying to get Boeing and its labor counterparts back to the negotiating table before the company picks South Carolina as the home for its second manufacturing or assembly line for the 787 Dreamliner jet.
Those are just some of the reactions today to news, captured in this Seattle Times report, that Boeing-union talks over a no-strike clause are dead and that the company likely is putting its second 787 line in South Carolina.
Said Gregoire:
"My philosophy is 'it ain't over 'til it's over.' I am continuing to work with both sides to urge them to keep talking and reach an agreement that would result in the second line being located in Washington. Senator Murray, Representative Dicks and Representative Larsen are also working hard on this and I appreciate their tireless efforts. If there is a deal to be struck, we will leave no stone unturned in trying to strike it.
"I absolutely believe Washington is the best place for Boeing to locate its second line. We have more than $3 billion on the table in incentives, the best workforce in the world, and the lowest production risk for the company. I have not given up hope that the labor/management issues that are central to Boeing’s decision can be resolved."
Said Hewitt:
"Yesterday the South Carolina Legislature passed a package of incentives to lure Boeing and create 3,800 jobs there. Let me say that slowly: Three thousand, eight hundred family-wage jobs that should be going to Washington – and would be, if everyone involved really understood what’s at stake. Think how many Washington families' lives would be changed if those jobs were created here.
"It's obviously 'game on' in South Carolina. They get it. Why isn't the Washington Legislature in special session right now enacting reasonable workers' compensation reform and looking at other ideas to attract and retain these jobs?
"This is like a football game where South Carolina’s team is marching down the field in the final minutes ready to score a touchdown. Washington knows the score is close, but just hopes it has enough points already on the board to win the game. Is that the time to sit on the sidelines and simply hope for the best? No – and neither is this.
"Labor, business and policy leaders need to unite to retain good jobs here. Time is almost up. It isn't just Boeing jobs that are at stake. It’s the jobs at all the smaller companies that supply Boeing, plus those who provide services and goods to its workers. Washington must show it's serious about keeping those jobs here. If we don't, we’ll regret it for generations to come."
Said Brown:
"Today's news that Boeing's 787 second production line may be headed to South Carolina is very troubling. I've spoken with Sen. Patty Murray's office this morning. Like most Washingtonians, we both want the second line of the 787 made here in Washington where it belongs.
"I've talked with the Machinists, and I know that Washington's economy relies upon the tens of thousands of family wage jobs Boeing brings to the state. And I've talked with Boeing, and I know that Boeing relies upon Washington's broad and highly skilled workforce that is the lifeblood of the aerospace industry.
"As I've told the Boeing’s (Commercial) Planes Division President and CEO Jim Albaugh, I believe the solution to Boeing's needs can best be determined locally. The state Legislature has a long track record of working with Boeing on its key issues, including providing billions in tax incentives and, perhaps most importantly, investing in aerospace worker training and apprenticeships.
"I point this out not to say that Boeing should be satisfied with past efforts, but rather to demonstrate our willingness to do all we can to keep Boeing competitive on the global stage. And in the face of steadily greater global competition in the aerospace industry, I believe Boeing and the 787 are positioned most competitively right here in Washington."
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