Boeing Seeks Smooth Labor Negotiations

The former top federal labor mediator has been brought on board at Boeing to help smooth the way for a new contract with the Machinists union.

John Calhoun Wells, who resigned recently as director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, has joined Boeing as a consultant.

The aerospace giant and the machinists begin bargaining next summer to replace the current contract, which expires Sept. 1.

“We want to have every tool available to us to make sure we really understand each other’s interests by the time we start the formal round and by the time we exit the final round,” said Jerry Calhoun, Boeing’s vice president for labor relations.

Boeing hopes to avoid a repeat of a 69-day strike in 1995 by members of the 39,000-member union. A strike could cripple the company at a time of increased competition from Europe’s Airbus Industrie.