Page 7 - AAA March / April 2024 Digital Magazine | GBP
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Boeing’s issues only time will can reach a deal that addresses
tell, but time, unfortunately, is not the needs of our employees
on their side. I would suggest while allowing us to win new
that some serious lateral thinking business in a very competitive
kicks in as soon as possible,” global market.”
Clark said.
However the IAM doesn’t see
it that way with Holden telling
Another of Boeing’s big custom- Reuters that members earned
ers and supporters Ryanair’s four 1% wage increases over the
Michael O’Leary slammed a last eight years and agreed to a
French Minister as “stupid” after pension freeze in 2014 in prior
he said that he would not travel negotiations, a struggle for work-
on a Boeing jet. ers dealing with high inflation.
“When you look at the impact
According to the website Pat Shanahan on inflation and the rise in the
POLITICO French Finance cost of housing and groceries
Minister Bruno Le Maire’s attack One of the keys to and everything that working
on Boeing’s safety record earned the resurrection of people need, we’re seeing a lot
him a scorching response from of momentum to increase pay,”
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary, Boeing is to fix forever he said.
who referred to him as a “stupid the toxic relationship
politician” and called his com- with its largest union It is hard to see this negotiation
ments “silly and ill-advised.” going smoothly for Boeing and
The International a strike will severely damage its
Association of efforts to get a variety of pro-
To “some stupid politician going: gram back on track.
‘My family don’t feel safe on a Machinists and
737,’ I say: ‘Well, then try flying Aerospace Workers
on an Airbus with a problem (IAM), which represents over And who will replace
with the engine that hasn’t been 30,000 workers in Washington Calhoun? The answer
repaired,’” O’Leary said, refer- building its commercial jets. appears to be simple.
ring to the defects in the Pratt
& Whitney engines that have According to Reuters the IAM Pat Shanahan, the no
grounded hundreds of Airbus wants “better retirement benefits nonsense engineer
planes for inspections. and wage increases exceeding who turned the 787
40% over three to four years program around, is
after what it termed years of ideal and has the right
However, O’Leary added in the stagnant earnings.”
POLITICO interview that airlines stuff in spades.
expect perfection in new air- “We have a lot to make up for,”
craft they buy. “Every day when Jon Holden, president of the Shanahan (61), was appointed
Airbus and Boeing produce or IAM’s District 751 told Reuters. late last year to turn Spirit
deliver a new aircraft, the quality AeroSystems around but his feet
of that has to be second to none. The last contract was in 2008 had hardly touched the ground
We’re paying $100 million for and several extensions have when the Alaska Airlines fiasco
every one of these aircraft. We taken it up to two 2024 and the erupted, although that incident
need to know that the standards contract contains cost of living was not related to troubled Spirit
of safety and that quality control adjustments. which supplies the fuselages.
is top notch in both in Toulouse
and in Seattle,” O’Leary said. Boeing says it is “confident we Now with talks underway for
ASIAN AIRLINES & AEROSPACE MARCH - APRIL 2024 | 7
