After 737 Max jet manufacturing issue, Boeing faces labour unrest in US: Report
A month ago, Alaska Airlines flight 1282 made an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon after a doorplug, a panel of the fuselage near the rear of the aircraft, blew out midair after the plane reached 16,000 feet.
- Feb 7, 2024,
- Updated Feb 7, 2024 2:12 PM IST
A month after facing major backlash due to Alaska Airlines flight's manufacturing issues Boeing is reportedly facing potential labour unrest in the US. Boeing’s largest union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, has said the workers are dissatisfied with their pay and benefits, and they’re willing to strike for a 40% raise, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday.
The union said the workers are demanding a 40% pay raise over three or four years. A strike would shut down Boeing plants in Washington and Oregon, including assembly lines for its 737 jets, the report said.
"Our goal is to negotiate a contract that we as a union leadership and our members can accept," Jon Holden, president of an International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) branch in Seattle, told Bloomberg News.
Boeing is already under fire and its production processes are under scrutiny from regulators and investors. A preliminary report, filed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the US, noted that four bolts that were supposed to hold the door of the Boeing 737 Max 9 plane were missing from the Alaska Airlines flight. On January 5, the flight saw the door blow out midair, at about 16,000 feet, following which flight 1282 made an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon. Several passengers on board were injured.
The 5 January 2024 incident forced the grounding of all Boeing 737 Max 9s. Later, investigations were ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), into the aircraft manufacturer and Spirit AeroSystems, which made the doorplug. The incident has become the biggest crisis for Boeing since its entire fleet of Max jets was grounded worldwide in 2019 following two fatal crashes.
The NTSB report released on Tuesday focused on how the panel - fitted into this MAX 9 model in place of an optional exit - could have detached from the plane. The plug is held down by four bolts, opens a new tab and is then secured by "stop fittings" at 12 different locations along the side of the plug and the door frame.
“We remain focused on working with our teams to strengthen quality across our operations,” Boeing said in a statement. “We believe there’s a path to a new contract that addresses the needs and concerns of our people while maintaining our ability to compete in the global market.”
On Tuesday, Mike Whitaker, the new chief FAA, shared a bleak view of the attention paid to safety measures by Boeing, which is one of the world's largest makers of commercial flights, as well as defence and security systems.
“There have been issues in the past. They don’t seem to be getting resolved, so we feel like we need to have a heightened level of oversight,” Whitaker, who took charge of the agency three months ago, told a White House subcommittee.
Also read: Boeing withdraws bid for safety exemption for Boeing 737 MAX 7
A month after facing major backlash due to Alaska Airlines flight's manufacturing issues Boeing is reportedly facing potential labour unrest in the US. Boeing’s largest union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, has said the workers are dissatisfied with their pay and benefits, and they’re willing to strike for a 40% raise, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday.
The union said the workers are demanding a 40% pay raise over three or four years. A strike would shut down Boeing plants in Washington and Oregon, including assembly lines for its 737 jets, the report said.
"Our goal is to negotiate a contract that we as a union leadership and our members can accept," Jon Holden, president of an International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) branch in Seattle, told Bloomberg News.
Boeing is already under fire and its production processes are under scrutiny from regulators and investors. A preliminary report, filed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the US, noted that four bolts that were supposed to hold the door of the Boeing 737 Max 9 plane were missing from the Alaska Airlines flight. On January 5, the flight saw the door blow out midair, at about 16,000 feet, following which flight 1282 made an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon. Several passengers on board were injured.
The 5 January 2024 incident forced the grounding of all Boeing 737 Max 9s. Later, investigations were ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), into the aircraft manufacturer and Spirit AeroSystems, which made the doorplug. The incident has become the biggest crisis for Boeing since its entire fleet of Max jets was grounded worldwide in 2019 following two fatal crashes.
The NTSB report released on Tuesday focused on how the panel - fitted into this MAX 9 model in place of an optional exit - could have detached from the plane. The plug is held down by four bolts, opens a new tab and is then secured by "stop fittings" at 12 different locations along the side of the plug and the door frame.
“We remain focused on working with our teams to strengthen quality across our operations,” Boeing said in a statement. “We believe there’s a path to a new contract that addresses the needs and concerns of our people while maintaining our ability to compete in the global market.”
On Tuesday, Mike Whitaker, the new chief FAA, shared a bleak view of the attention paid to safety measures by Boeing, which is one of the world's largest makers of commercial flights, as well as defence and security systems.
“There have been issues in the past. They don’t seem to be getting resolved, so we feel like we need to have a heightened level of oversight,” Whitaker, who took charge of the agency three months ago, told a White House subcommittee.
Also read: Boeing withdraws bid for safety exemption for Boeing 737 MAX 7