A recent New York Times report on safety concerns in the 787 Dreamliner production line prompted Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH) to write a letter urging Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg to reconsider the company’s approach to quality control and safety lapses. Brown’s letter also called on Boeing to adopt card check neutrality for all workers at the South Carolina plant as part of their response to the Dreamliners’ safety concerns.
READ: Ohio senator calls for union as solution to alleged Boeing SC production issues Charleston (SC) Post and Courier
An alarming report from The Daily: Boeing pushed its workforce to quickly turn out Dreamliners while ignoring safety issues raised by employees and, at times, harassed, intimidated and even fired those employees who raised production quality concerns. https://t.co/7retmj1jNe
— Sherrod Brown (@SenSherrodBrown) April 24, 2019
Machinists Union International President Robert Martinez Jr. welcomed the support from Brown.
“I want to thank Sen. Sherrod Brown for sending a letter to Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg,” said Martinez. “Sen. Brown is a champion for working families and always stands up for the rights of working people.
“The safety of the flying public and the people who build Boeing airplanes has always and will always be our No. 1 priority,” said Martinez. “We feel the best way to address safety and quality issues in the workplace is to create a culture of honest communication between labor and management. Our union has more than 80 year’s experience representing workers and partnering with Boeing, including during World War II, to produce industry-leading aircraft. When we unite, no worker in the world can outperform, or drive more innovation than workers right here at home.”
We agree with @SenSherrodBrown. Our 35,000 members at Boeing, including IAM members who work on the Flight Line in South Carolina, stand ready to work with Boeing to address any production or morale issues. Let’s get to work. https://t.co/TGBLhP9h5V
— Machinists Union (@MachinistsUnion) April 24, 2019
The IAM represents more than 35,000 Boeing employees at locations nationwide. Flight readiness technicians and inspectors in South Carolina voted on May 31, 2018 to join the IAM. Since then, Boeing has refused to negotiate with the flight readiness technicians and inspectors at its North Charleston, SC manufacturing facility.