SEATTLE, 1 Dec. 2011. The announcement by The Boeing Company officials intend to build the 737 Max airplane at its Renton, Wa., plant is the culmination of months of work by labor, government, and business professionals to ensure the next-generation aircraft will be built by the most experienced workforce in the world at building single-aisle commercial aircraft, says Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), IFPTE Local 2001, spokesperson.
In fact, officials from SPEEA, along with those from IAM and other organizations, co-sponsored an independent study of possible locations for 737 MAX production. The study, released earlier this month, affirmed building the new aircraft in Renton, where the existing 737 is built, as the best option with the lowest risk. Government and business entities also helped to fund the study and campaign, known as Project Pegasus.
“This is really good news for employees, our communities and Boeing,” says SPEEA President Tom McCarty of Boeing’s announcement. “It means secure jobs continuing far into the future.
“This was a very proactive effort to make sure these planes are designed and built by the most experienced and productive workforce in the world,” McCarty adds. “That workforce includes the employees represented by SPEEA and the IAM in Washington, Oregon, and Kansas.”
A local of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), SPEEA represents 25,460 aerospace professionals at Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems in Kansas, Triumph Composite Systems Inc., in Spokane, Wa., and BAE Systems Inc., in Irving, Texas.
