Will The Boeing Company (BA) Avoid a Strike?

Ideally, though, Boeing’s management and workforce should see themselves on the same side. Engineers and technical workers have claimed that their expertise is being overlooked to the detriment of the company. Technical worker and negotiating team member Joel Funfar complained that “Boeing corporate created the 787 problems by ignoring the warnings of the Boeing technical community,” while an anonymous engineer commented that “it appears to me that the missteps in the C-suite that negatively impact the bottom line are glossed over in the congratualtory pay raises that the C-suite votes itself.” (CEO James McNerney received a 34% pay raise after the launch of the Dreamliner, while engineers and technical workers were offered the insulting contract that led to this dispute.)

Boeing is, at heart, an engineering company, and the best judgment of the engineers needs to come before financial concerns. On the other hand, however, workers might feel more engaged with the financial health of the company (and be more understanding about transitioning to defined contribution pension plans) if Boeing introduced more worker-friendly policies, including offering more stock ownership for employees and giving everyday employees the same kind of profit-sharing the management team indulges in. I believe strongly that if Boeing treats its people well, they will return the favor and help the company execute on the massive opportunity ahead of it.

The article Will Boeing Avoid a Strike? originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Daniel Ferry.

Fool contributor Daniel Ferry owns shares of General Motors. The Motley Fool recommends Ford and General Motors and owns shares of Ford.

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.