Boeing’s Spokane Employees Look On With Wary Enthusiasm
It was one of the biggest days in aviation history.
On Monday morning more than 200,000 Boeing Co. employees gathered at workplaces around the country, including Spokane, to hear talks officially inaugurating the newly enlarged Boeing the largest company in the aerospace industry following its merger with McDonnell Douglas.
In Spokane on the momentous day, about 300 Boeing employees packed the darkened lunchroom of the West Plains Boeing plant, eager to see the live satellite-feed broadcast of their leader, Phil Condit, who is now chairman and chief executive officer of the new company, and Harry Stonecipher, now president and chief operating officer.
Condit was chairman and CEO at Boeing and Stonecipher was president and CEO at McDonnell Douglass.
Employing 220,000 people in plants from Seattle to Philadelphia, the new Boeing Company will dominate the world in production of commercial airplanes. As NASA’s leading contractor, it will be the leader in space technology. And, as a key supplier to the military, it will dominate the air defense industry with its jet planes, rockets and helicopters.
“It’s hard not to say, ‘Wow,’ ” said Condit from the new National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. to his employees watching at plants across the country. Laughter rippled through the lunchroom in Spokane.
The deal, which required both national and international governmental approvals, was a painstaking process that involved more than 5 million pages of documents, Condit said. “That’s enough to fill the cargo holds of three 737 jet liners,” he said. The crowd in Spokane gasped.
Condit and Stonecipher said the new company will see some changes and consolidations, which will be determined by Nov. 1. “We’ll be removing the overlap,” Condit said. “But we’ll offset the job loss part with the expansion of fundamental business.”
No one yet knows what that means for the Spokane plant, which opened in 1990 and now has a work force of 550 employees, 80 percent of them line workers. The Spokane plant makes floor panels for all of Boeing’s commercial airplanes, environmental control systems such as air ducts and a few parts for the flight deck.
“I know a merger means change,” said Tom Som, general manager of the Spokane plant. “But I don’t see any major changes coming to Spokane.”
Though some workers worry that their jobs might disappear, most are just caught up in the excitement of the merger.
“That’s always the thought, of losing your job, in the back of your mind,” said Mike Kitterman, a line worker who makes floor panels.
“But I think we’re all feeling positive.”
Coworker, Archie Knapp quickly agreed.
“We’re making history here and we’re a part of it,” she said. “I feel comfortable with the change.”
Sensitive to employee concerns, the managers at the plant in Spokane have been careful to keep staff informed through meetings and special communications.
“Anytime you have changes there’s tension,” Som said. “I don’t see that as a really big issue here.”
Though one of the smallest plants in the new company, the Spokane operation has been spotlighted lately by Boeing headquarters in Seattle. In the past 18 months, it has improved both production costs and output, Som said.
“In 1991 we were producing 47,000 parts. This year we made 160,000 parts and we’ve only increased the head count by 25 percent,” said Som, who has been at the plant since it opened in 1990. “We’ve added 150 jobs, but we’ve more than tripled our output.”
The last lay-offs at the Spokane plant took place when 40 jobs were terminated in 1995.
In addition to the telecast, to celebrate, the plant held a barbecue and served cake during the lunch hour.
“I figure we’re going to lose at least half a day of production,” said Gene Hamacher, production strategy manager. “But that’s OK. It gets people fired up about working for Boeing.”
, DataTimes