CEO tells unions Boeing's global supply chain is crucial

12 Oct 2010

Source  Seattle Times
Boeing CEO Jay McNerney tackled two of the thorniest union issues, delivering a robust defense of free trade and Boeing's practice of sending work to other countries. "Very few customers today are willing to purchase aerospace products or services without expecting some form of industrial partnership, through global supply chains," McNerney said. He pointed out that around 80 percent of Boeing's commercial airplane backlog will go to non-U.S. customers and that a big percentage of the future growth in the defense division of the company will likewise come from international markets. "Economies and jobs prosper when people travel and ship goods more and more often," McNerney said. "Trade is critical to our entire industry's long-term success."

Mr McNerney was speaking at an international trade union conference in Seattle, Washington USA.  The two-day conference was not open to the public or the press. Focusing on aerospace workers, it was organized by a Geneva-based trade union umbrella group, the International Metalworkers' Federation, and drew union officials from Europe and North America. One strong message at the conference on the opening day was a united concern among both European and U.S. unions about the outsourcing of work by both Airbus and Boeing to China.

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