cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/16060910
Managers in Washington accused of hounding staff to keep quiet over quality concerns, as employees point to union-busting
Boeing’s largest factory is in “panic mode”, according to workers and union officials, with managers accused of hounding staff to keep quiet over quality concerns.
The US plane maker has been grappling with a safety crisis sparked by a cabin panel blowout during a flight in January, and intense scrutiny of its production line as regulators launched a string of investigations.
Its site at Everett, Washington – hailed as the world’s biggest manufacturing building – is at the heart of Boeing’s operation, responsible for building planes like the 747 and 767, and fixing the 787 Dreamliner.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Najmedin Meshkati, who served on the panel, said Boeing’s safety culture has “eroded” over the past two decades, in the wake of its merger with McDonnell Douglas in the late 90s, “under the direct watch of its leaders and board of directors, who have been complicit in and ultimately responsible for its present problems”.
“Boeing’s most valuable asset is its highly dedicated and skilled workforce, and, fortunately, most of its systems-related problems are fixable,” Meshkati, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Southern California, said in an interview before the company presented its plan this week.
A spokesperson for Boeing said: “As we shared publicly on numerous occasions, we will put all undelivered 787s through our join verification program to ensure every airplane conforms to our exacting engineering specifications prior to delivery to our customers.
Another Boeing employee at Everett, who also requested anonymity, drew a contrast between productivity at the Washington state complex and the North Charleston factory in South Carolina, where final assembly of the 787 was moved but where no union mechanics were hired.
In addition to not hiring union mechanics in South Carolina, Boeing has significantly reduced the number of workers who write instructions for machinists in recent years, through outsourcing, voluntary resignations and layoffs.
Some veteran union employees at Boeing draw a link between its current issues and a move by the company more than two decades ago to introduce “team leader” managers, replacing a previous system whereby the most senior, experienced factory workers were in charge.
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