subject: Seattle Translation Workers Suggest Boeing Move Could Be Risky [print this page] In another blow to union workers, Boeing has announced that it will shift more jobs from Washington State to South Carolina. Specifically, Boeing announced that it would build a second assembly line for its 787 Dreamliner in North Charleston, South Carolina. One Seattle Translation worker in Washington said, This decision represents the start of a new war! The new production line is going to move approximately 4,000 jobs across the country, breakup families and hurt our local economy.
But according to statements made CEO W. James McNerney Jr., the company is willing to do just about anything to break the stranglehold that the unions have on Boeing. Company officials fear that union pressures will force Boeing to collapse like the automotive companies. In this competitive environment, where the company has new competition from Indian and China, there is no room for uncompetitive labor wages and pressures. One Japanese Translator recalled that when Boeing tried to negotiate concessions last year, it triggered a 57-day strike by labor that ended up costing the company $2-billion and prompted some customers to shift orders to competitor like Airbus.
However, for Boeing, the movement of operations to South Carolina offers tremendous opportunities. The company already has a plant in South Carolina where the average pay in nearly half that of the price of unionized labor in Washington. However, the move comes with certain risks for the company. Primarily, the new line will cost approximately $7 billion dollars and will take up to four years to get the line operating efficiently. In addition, some Seattle Translation workers believe that focusing too much on relocation may deemphasize more important issues like quality control.
