Boeing is a company in need of cultural change.Labor relations, which have been strained for decades at the company, is an area that new CEO Kelly Ortberg cited shortly after his hiring as a target for restoring trust.Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened and Boeing’s actions so far during the strike aren’t creating trust with the union.Today it looks like the same-old-Boeing and a long strike.
A Missed Opportunity
Kelly Ortberg was likely taken by surprise after the union and company reached a tentative agreement, but the rank and file voted it down with a 96% vote.That vote indicated that both the company and union leadership mis-read the mood of the union members.Boeing could legitimately state that the union leadership didn’t follow-through in convincing its members to accept the tentative contract.Clearly, the rank and file disagreed with union leadership on the adequacy of the deal.
