Despite asking “how high?” whenever Boeing says “jump,” South Carolina got jilted by the Chicago-based aircraft manufacturer … again.
For the second time in three years, Boeing has chosen Washington State over South Carolina for a key project. In 2011 it was the 737 MAX project … this year its the 777X, a revamped version of the company’s long range 777 series that is designed to compete with the Airbus A350.
In both cases, Boeing dissed South Carolina to gain leverage with its machinists’ union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). This time IAM workers will get a new eight-year deal with $10,000 signing bonuses and added pension benefits.
“Securing the 777X for the Puget Sound means much more than job security for thousands of IAM members,” a top union official said in a statement. “It means decades of economic activity for the region and will anchor the next generation of wide-body aircraft production right here in its historic birthplace.”
South Carolina will still assemble roughly 30 percent all new Boeing 787 Dreamliners – which have experienced all sorts of problems – at the company’s North Charleston, S.C. facility, but it is becoming increasingly clear that major expansions in the Palmetto State are unlikely.
Boeing has received more than $1 billion in taxpayer-funded incentives from South Carolina’s state government – including a $120 million cash payment in April.
31 comments
Well duh, 2 more deals equals 2 billion more dollars. Put up or shut up. You forget South Carolina has to pay for corporations to come to our backward thinking state. Washington state has skilled labor and quality schools to insure a steady pool of qualified technicians. South Carolina has……pffft.. to come up with 2 billion more dollars to be in the running. Good luck with that..we can’t even get Wal- Mart to commit to this shithole of a state.
It’s all the labor unions fault!
Apparently Boeing just doesnt appreciate South Carolina’s “Right To Work” Nirvana!
REELECT NIKKI!
Our education system may have more to do with it than many think and our folks just may not be qualified to handle it to be honest.
Not qualified to handle popping rivets into sheet metal or slapping glue on carbon fiber?
Next time you score some crack from T-bone don’t be a greedy bastard and smoke it all up. Pass some of that shit around so ole Cletus can get a good buzz going too.
Lawdy, Lawdy, dat edumacation is gonna fix da everyting!
Your reply proves my point.
You attempt to continue the myth. Those of your ilk have yet to explain how SC citizens are/were perfectly capable of overhauling and refueling nuclear reactors, assembling Polaris and Poseidon missiles which carry nuclear warheads, etc. but are so ignorant that they can not assemble airliners.
You only have so many with those capabilities and South Carolina like a lot of other states have not kept up. To those of your ilk thank you!
The same SC citizens assembly BMWs, build Michelin tires, etc. You “theory” doesn’t work.
So you are saying all citizens are equal in education and brains. You are the brainy one! Most companies do research and know what they are looking for and the capabilities of their citizens and ability to learn.Folks like you help sell our state out. America refuses to come to the conclusion that we are not what we use to be,we live in the past thinking America is the best at everything and have quit trying to improve. Wake up Bozo!
Boeing Boeing Boeing… Sounds like boing
So tell us again why you came to South Carolina, jobless none the less from that great Labor wonderland of Ohio with all it’s skilled labor?
You give Cletus a six pack of bud, a bucket of pop rivets & some aluminum sheet metal and I guarantee that I build a much better plane than those assholes in Washington.
Sure, it will look like a NASCAR when its finished, but that fucker will fly.
As usual Sic Willie intentionally ignores the other work beside the 787 that Boeing is moving to Charleston? Why? Because it would not fit his agenda.
He has a stunning lack of awareness of the aviation industry, that’s for sure.
He was Mark Sanford’s flack/hack. You cannot expect too much from him.
He also ignores the fact that Boeing owns a huge plant in Seattle that is no where near full capacity, that there are a number of trained workers under employed in the area and that the Charleston is near capacity…
Also the facility in California currently winding down C17 production.
It is amazing what total crap Will comes up with when posting on Boeing,whatever his agenda might be
I think it’s the crony capitalist angle that bothers Will.
His anger is displaced though, he should be focusing on getting tax breaks on everyone instead of just busting Boeing’s balls.
Crony capitalism is his cover story. What he is really pissed about is that Haley cut him off and Boeing is a project of hers. Now if Sanfraud and/or carpetbagger Davis had been behind Boeing coming to SC he would be all for it.
It’s a
sad daygreat day in SC when union leaders are more attractive than our very own Nikki Haley and her efforts to lure businesses.They know the Union can disrupt the project in many way. Union and government are hand in hand!
UNLESS BOEING MOVES ALL PROJECTS TO SC, IT MUST HATE SC
Washington State gave Boeing a massive financial deal.
Which is being funded by a large increase in the Gas Tax.
The Wash. citizens are not happy about it and the Tax hike may not go thru.
Boeing has already announced a major expansion in SC, what it will build they have not said. They have also moved a large IT work force there, and an engineering center. So no I would not say they have dissed SC. Perhaps just like the 787, the new 777 will have a second line in SC, that produces 30% of the planes.
How many times do you have to be told that facts and truth are not welcome here when they destroy Sic Willie’s agenda. Please refrain in the future.
Boeing has reached capacity until they acquire more land and start building in N.Chasn.
They are relocating IT and engineering operations to there recently purchased office buildings. It would appear they are looking to increase there electronic space operations which are long term contract work and not the ups and down of aircraft manufacturing.
I work in Everett at the Boeing site, on the 777 line in wing body join, and I would just like to say respectfully. Screw sc. That said. Boeing from a logical stand point, (at least what logic me and the rest of my crew can imagine) cannot afford another 787 cost nightmare brought on by trying to move major production of a jetliner out, of it’s main production facility. From what I’ve heard from the old timers and people who probably know more than I do. Boeing could sell those planes for 15 yrs and only then, just break even when you think of all the construction and infrastructure, and labor costs and training and added to the fact that the amount of planes they would be capable of making would fall far short of the capacity of the Everett site. They can only make like .8 87’s a months so just barely 12 a year and we are moving current gen 777’s out of the shop at over 8 per month. Just imagine trying to take a modified legacy aircraft that have always been built in puget sound. All the generations of workers and passed down tribal knowledge to build these planes. 90 % of the time I don’t ever even glance at the work instructions or the drawing cus I learned from people who learned from people and so on. Of course you look at it every now and then to make sure a certain process or two hasn’t changed but for the most part everyone, instinctively knows how to do their job. On the other side… Imagin if nobody at Boeing Everett knew how to build these planes. And all we had was boeings crappy skills process center excuse for a training center for new hires… There would be a steeeeep drop in quality because there’s so many nuances to building a jetliner that not many people realize. And without a wealth of skilled mechanics who have been working metal birds for most of their careers there’s No way for the to be competitive and not ruin the 777 brand by letting those inexperienced sc guys turn them into giant fire hazards. But I’m just one guy so… 10g for me pleeeez
It only took 21 years to get the rate up to 8 planes/month. Shows how much experience does for you. Respectfully kiss our asses!
This post is in no way trying to “Diss” South Carolina.
Added pension benefits my ass! They’re cutting off our pension, and giving us a BS company ran savings plan that won’t even come close to the original pension plan that the old timers have fought so hard to get over the decades. We are good at what we do, and there is a reason why Seattle is known for its aerospace industry. This region makes the company a lot of money when it’s not choosing to out source, and make piss poor business decisions.
Taking away that in which we’ve worked so hard to get, will set a course for failure in our future work force. With no pension, and taking 16 years to receive full pay, no right minded skilled worker is going to come work for Boeing. Thus reducing Boeing from a career to just another labor job. This will have immense repercussions in quality, and end up costing the company far more in the long run. Including it’s reputation on making a quality aircraft… Bottom line is, you get what you pay for, and if you pay for garbage……… Well good luck with that. And with a company that’s reporting record earnings, there’s no excuse for this game they’re are playing.
So when the media makes us look like a bunch of greedy a**holes for not wanting our pensions taken away, our ins. benefits to skyrocket, and for our future fellow employees to have to suffer. Do a little research on the annual incomes of these so called CEO’s, and while you’re at it, check out Boeing’s quarterly earnings.
Wanting to have a stable life, support a family, and put your kids through ever increasingly expensive college, should not be too much to ask. It’s when we bow down, and put our tail between our legs, that we become another victim of corporate America, and the demise of the middle class.
-Corporate Greed at its finest-
This article is wrong in the fact when it talks about the IAM contract. The contract will most likely get voted down, due to the fact that it is by far the biggest slap in the face for its members. Yes, a $10,000 signing bonus sounds good word of mouth. But when you cancel all pension accrual in 2016 and you offer a 4% wage increase over 8 years, and double insurance premiums while lowering coverage. That signing bonus isnt going to get you anywhere.