Boeing\u2019s largest factory is in \u201cpanic mode\u201d, according to workers and union officials, with managers accused of hounding staff to keep quiet over quality concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The US plane maker has been grappling with a safety crisis sparked by a cabin panel blowout<\/a> during a flight in January, and intense scrutiny of its production line as regulators launched a string of investigations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Its site at Everett, Washington \u2013 hailed as the world\u2019s biggest manufacturing building \u2013 is at the heart of Boeing\u2019s operation, responsible for building planes like the 747 and 767, and fixing the 787 Dreamliner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One mechanic at the complex, who has worked for Boeing for more than three decades, has claimed it is \u201cfull of\u201d faulty 787 jets that need fixing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of these jets are flown from Boeing\u2019s site in South Carolina, where the company shifted final assembly of the 787 in 2021 in what was <\/strong>characterized<\/a> as a cost-cutting measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is no way in God\u2019s green earth I would want to be a pilot in South Carolina flying those from South Carolina to here,\u201d the mechanic, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, told the Guardian. \u201cBecause when they get in here, we\u2019re stripping them apart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Managers at Everett <\/strong>\u201cwill hound mechanics\u201d to keep quiet about quality-assurance concerns and potential repairs, the mechanic alleged, <\/strong>emphasizing speed and efficiency over safety. He added: \u201cBoeing has to look in the mirror and say: \u2018We\u2019re wrong.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Boeing did not comment on claims that staff have been pressured not to raise concerns about quality. Work at Everett on 787 jets is taking place as part of an established verification program, it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The company met this week with US regulators to discuss how it plans to address quality-control issues. Executives <\/strong>have recently described how workers have been emboldened to speak up<\/a> since January, with submissions to an internal portal for safety and quality concerns up 500%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier this year, a panel of experts, which was appointed by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after two fatal Boeing 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people, described a \u201cdisconnect\u201d between Boeing\u2019s leadership and workforce on safety, and made 53 recommendations to help resolve its concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After January\u2019s blowout, which took place on board a brand-new Max 9 plane, the FAA launched a sweeping investigation. After a six-week audit of Boeing\u2019s production line found multiple failures to comply with manufacturing quality-control requirements, the agency gave Boeing 90 days to outline an action plan and address the panel\u2019s findings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Boeing submitted its proposed plan<\/a> to the FAA on Thursday. In a statement, the company said it \u201cwelcomed\u201d the expert panel\u2019s 53 recommendations. Mike Whitaker, the FAA administrator, told reporters that Boeing had accepted them all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Najmedin Meshkati, who served on the panel, said Boeing\u2019s safety culture has \u201ceroded\u201d over the past two decades, in the wake of its merger with McDonnell Douglas in the late 90s, \u201cunder the direct watch of its leaders and board of directors, who have been complicit in and ultimately responsible for its present problems\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBoeing\u2019s most valuable asset is its highly dedicated and skilled workforce, and, fortunately, most of its systems-related problems are fixable,\u201d 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. \u201cHowever, Boeing\u2019s corporate governance and its perpetually cloned [board] needs to be overhauled and diversified,\u201d he added, suggesting that it should move its headquarters back to Seattle and \u201csystematically\u201d implement all the panel\u2019s recommendations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The FAA launched another investigation<\/a> this month, into production of the 787 Dreamliner, scrutinizing whether Boeing workers in South Carolina completed required inspections on the jet, and whether they \u201cfalsified aircraft records\u201d, after Boeing informed the watchdog that it \u201cmay not have completed\u201d all checks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sam Salehpour, an engineer at Boeing, testified<\/a> in front of Congress in April that the 787 was riddled with quality defects and called for all 787s to be grounded for inspection. Boeing denied his allegations and said it was <\/strong>\u201cfully confident in the safety and durability\u201d of the plane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The mechanic who spoke to the Guardian described how \u201cgiant failures\u201d in Boeing\u2019s 787 production line had put enormous pressure on the company as it scrambles to reassure regulators, airlines and passengers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRight now, we\u2019re in panic mode in Everett,\u201d they said, because Boeing managers \u201cfinally figured out that they got more people that have no idea what\u2019s going on, than people that do\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A spokesperson for Boeing said: \u201cAs we shared publicly on numerous occasions, we will put all undelivered 787s through our join verification<\/a> program to ensure every airplane conforms to our exacting engineering specifications prior to delivery to our customers. Airplanes assembled since 2022 do not require this additional join verification work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn mid-2023, we announced that we would relocate all join verification efforts in Everett so that we can focus our South Carolina team on new airplane production positions. There has been no change to this plan and our team in Everett has continued to complete the join verification program.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some workers at Everett have characterized the shift of 787 <\/strong>production from Washington to South Carolina as an anti-union move: whereas Washington has a union for mechanics, Boeing\u2019s plant in South Carolina is non-union, and was the site of a contentious union-organizing drive<\/a> several years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe would build 10 to 12 planes a month, while South Carolina would build just over two, almost three a month,\u201d they <\/em>said. \u201cI don\u2019t see them ever getting to 10 a month.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A \u201cvery robust union-containment strategy\u201d at Boeing is partly responsible for the company\u2019s broader <\/strong>safety problems, said Rich Plunkett, director of strategic development for the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (Speea), IFPTE Local 2001, which represents 17,000 employees at Boeing and Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe existing employees are not the enemy,\u201d <\/strong>said Plunkett. \u201c<\/strong>They\u2019re your solution. And you need to engage them collectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBoeing has to implement meaningful non-retaliation policies, demonstrate by walking the talk, and quit threatening their workforce [that] if they can\u2019t do everything they can cheaper that they\u2019re going to send the work abroad. Because Boeing\u2019s globalization is continuing, if not expanding, in the midst of Boeing telling the free world they\u2019re changing the culture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some veteran union employees at Boeing draw a link between its current issues and a move by the company<\/a> more than two decades ago to introduce \u201cteam leader\u201d managers, replacing a previous system whereby the most senior, experienced factory workers were in charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe team leader isn\u2019t picked by his skill on the airplane \u2013 he is picked by his relationship with another manager or another person,\u201d said the mechanic. \u201cNow we don\u2019t have team leads who know what\u2019s up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, the managers <\/strong>\u201cdoing the thinking have never done physical labor before\u201d, they added. \u201cThere\u2019s no way you can learn how to build an airplane in a school on the third floor. There are a lot of things you can learn in the classroom, but building an airplane is not one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Boeing said: \u201cWe value experience as well as other factors such as skill set, performance and leadership that go into making a strong team lead. Our team leads help develop employees while the overall training we provide builds the knowledge and skills of our teammates as they advance in their Boeing career.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recently, disagreements between Boeing and unions have stalled talks over the creation of a program for employees to raise safety concerns to regulators without fear of retaliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n