SEATTLE • Tom Wroblewski, local leader of the Boeing Co. Machinists union, won’t say how he wants members to vote in Wednesday’s crucial 777X decision, but he emphasized the need to protect future jobs.
Both Wroblewski and Boeing Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Ray Conner spoke at a ceremony Monday where Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law the measure passed hurriedly over the weekend to meet some of Boeing’s conditions for building the 777X and its carbon-fiber wing in Washington.
Standing near Wroblewski, Conner told reporters that if the Machinists reject the company offer, Boeing’s threat to take the work of building its new 777X jet to another state is dead serious.
“It’s not a bluff,” Conner said. “Hopefully we’ll get a good vote on Wednesday.”
Speaking for the first time in public since a contentious union meeting Thursday night when he tore up a copy of Boeing’s offer and denounced it in vivid terms, Wroblewski called the decision on the vote “very emotional.”
“What’s at stake here is jobs for the future, jobs to build 777X for 20 to 25 years,” Wroblewski said. His members “have to look at the proposal that really changes the way they’ve done things, that they’ve worked hard for many years to get. They need to look at this proposal and do what’s right for them, their families and the community.”
The bill Inslee signed provides Boeing tax incentives through 2040, speeds regulatory approval of industrial projects, and adds funding for aerospace training.
Along with extending tax breaks to 2040, lawmakers also approved millions of dollars for training programs for aerospace workers. Lawmakers have also said that Boeing supports the development of a large transportation package, and the Legislature is still exploring a plan valued at about $10 billion.
Boeing has promised to build 1.5 million square feet of new buildings to do both final assembly of the 777X and also to fabricate its advanced giant wing, made from carbon fiber-reinforced plastic composite.
