As a Union, the most compelling
question we can ask is what can we do about it. I have heard some
members concede that there is nothing we can do. To that I vehemently
disagree. There is always a choice. We can watch from the sidelines
and simply accept what happens or we can get involved and push
for what we believe is right. I would hope that every member will
choose to participate and strengthen our fight on these critical
issues. The fact is that in the near future, decisions will be
made that could affect our membership for years to come. A few
examples include determining where the new 7E7 will be built,
how much of Boeing airplanes will be built by our members, the
future of the Auburn and Renton facilities, and how our state
attempts to create a more 'business friendly' environment that
attracts companies rather than drives them out. In each of these decisions, we have an opportunity to affect the outcome. To do this we must be heard - in the plants, through our elected officials, and in the local media. In a recent membership focus group, one member suggested stepping up efforts to alert the public to the changes that have occurred at Boeing. We must get the general public behind our fight to keep jobs in this area because every citizen has a stake in this battle. I, like you, do not like or appreciate the direction that Boeing is going. Our members, more than anyone else, want to see Boeing prosper and grow in the future. And we all want to participate in that growth. It means heightening awareness so we can influence the direction this Company takes. Write letters to the editor, call into radio talk shows, speak to your neighbors and friends about the importance of preserving these good-paying manufacturing jobs. Call or write your legislators they need to step up and fight for us. All of them.
I feel that the number one purpose of American Trade Unions is to support and create American jobs. I also feel that the number one purpose of Congressional Representatives, Senators, and all legislators should be to support American jobs, American workers, and their families. If a bill is not to help American workers or jobs, then who cares? We need to send the strongest message to our elected officials -- they work for us, not Mexico, Russia, China, Turkey....And they need to get used to it!
America is the greatest consumer market in the world, yet each year we make less and less. Aerospace is the last industry we dominate. Our job, and the job of our elected legislators, is to keep it that way.
Nearly every day we hear a new rumor about the Auburn facility. The constant disruption and anxiety has made for a very hostile work environment. In meetings with Boeing executives, I have implored them to share information with the Union and employees, but only get the standard response, there are no major announcements in the foreseeable future. Our members must vocalize their concerns - not just about their jobs - but why it is important to maintain the manufacturing capabilities that have made Boeing great. The skills and equipment in the Auburn plant rival any other manufacturing plant in the world and we should be valued for the contributions we make and should make in the future. I believe that Boeing should remain involved in the area of parts fabrication. To turn this over to subcontractors not only costs our members' jobs, but doing so relinquishes the control of quality and productivity giving it to companies and workers that don't care about the finished product as much as we all do.
This year's apprenticeship graduation was evidence that Boeing no longer embraces the new skills and education that our ambitious members have achieved. Many graduates of the program are laid-off. Now, instead of Boeing reaping the benefit of our members' 4 or 5-year Apprenticeship, some other company will benefit from their hard work and commitment. The fact that the last Tool and Die Maker and traditional Machinist apprentices just graduated is an indication of the dangerous direction Boeing is heading in the area of manufacturing.
The Company is currently making presentations on their new Material Delivery and Inventory Process, as well as their Team Leader proposal. Both were strongly opposed by the Union in the last round of negotiations. These two issues were the primary reasons your Union recommended rejection of that contract. Document changes to your work assignment and any vendor activity. Get that information to your Union Steward. Note changes in headcount and transfers of personnel. Voice concerns you may have and tell management these will be issues in our next contract.
Today, we should begin preparing for the next round of bargaining. Get involved, speak up at crew meetings, document work changes, attend Union meetings, talk to neighbors. Make a conscious choice to participate. Together, we can shape the direction Boeing takes in the future and even reverse some of the bad decisions the Company has made in the past.
Yes, this is the most dramatic downturn in aerospace history, but I truly believe it is just that - a downturn. Boeing and the airlines will eventually turn around, and we need to be sure that we are there and a viable entity when prosperity returns.