Boeing streik av det alvorlige slaget - KIRO Seattle

 

KIRO Seattle:

Boeing strike may have far-reaching ramifications

 

Boeing Corporation building.© IanDewarPhotography / Adobe Stock

Some 33,000 machinists at the Boeing Company are on strike after rejecting a contract proposal, and the longer it goes on the worse it could be for the aviation industry.

For one, Boeing is already dealing with enough problems and scrutiny stemming from the January 5 incident in which a door panel blew off an Alaska Airlines plane in midair. It was revealed that the company has been losing money for years.

A strike not only slows down production but slows Boeing from salvaging its battered reputation.

A lengthy strike would also virtually halt production of the 737 Max, Boeing’s best-selling plane. TD Cowen analyst Cai von Rumohr said the current walkout could last into mid-November. 

“Boeing needs to keep making these (planes) because Boeing has been hemorrhaging money because of their safety problems,” said Art Wheaton, director of labor studies at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. “And safety problems are quite often caused by understaffing.”

Fitch Ratings said Boeing’s credit rating wouldn’t feel the effects of a one- or two-week strike but Boeing work stoppages have traditionally averaged about six weeks. So, airlines and airline passengers might not feel the pinch right away, but as the holidays draw close they will.