Mon, Nov 29, 2004
Look For Division Between Military And Commercial Units
The Boeing sign still
adorns the huge plant on the east side of Tulsa International
Airport's main runway, but it may not for much longer. And as that
sign comes down, unions that represent workers inside the plant
will have to make some changes as well.
As ANN has extensively reported, Boeing wants to sell its
commercial plants in Tulsa and McAlester, OK, as well as its
commercial operation in Wichita, KS. The sale is said to be imminent, and there is no
shortage of angst in both Oklahoma and Kansas.
Now, leaders of the four unions representing workers at the
three plants say company officials are telling them to be ready to
renegotiate their contracts. The unions will probably have to split
their bargaining teams into two separate entities -- one to
represent military workers (Boeing's military operations aren't for
sale) and one to represent the commercial workers.
That idea doesn't thrill SPEEA. "We just went through
negotiations," said Bob Brewer, who heads up the union's Midwest
division. "I believe personally there are too many transition
issues to worry about right now without sitting down and going
through a negotiation process with several unions here in
Wichita."
Boeing had reportedly been in intense negotiations with GKN, a
British company with close ties to the aerospace giant. However, as ANN reported earlier this month, GKN
has withdrawn from negotiations and has perhaps been replaced by
the Canadian firm Onex.
Union leaders say a sale is imminent. Boeing says it should
happen by the end of the year.
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