FlightLines

NLRB judge: Boeing violated labor law

 

The NLRB ruled that Boeing must provide wage rates and regional salary information to union members. (Photo/Boeing)

The National Labor Relations Board has found that the Boeing Co. violated labor law during negotiations with union members in Washington state in 2012.

A September 2012 Bloomberg story spurred the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 2001 to request information on salary, wages and productivity from Boeing during labor talks.

The story quoted Boeing Engineering Vice President Mike Delaney saying: “We’re committed to Puget Sound ... But we will do — and I have told SPEEA this — when we do the next airplane, I will do and use whatever resources it takes to launch the airplane.”

Boeing did not supply the requested information, and within two days of the article’s publication, the union filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB, according to board documents.

NLRB Administrative Law Judge Dickie Montemayor issued the order July 31 that said Boeing violated labor law by not providing the requested information to the union, which was relevant to negotiations after Delaney’s statements.

“The information sought clearly had a bearing on the bargaining process,” Montemayor wrote. The company’s “failure to provide requested information undermined and tainted the bargaining process.”

Montemayor heard the case in February. Boeing told the judge that the Bloomberg News story was “inaccurate and unreliable.” The judge rejected the argument, saying Boeing did not seek retraction or correction of the story at the time.

Montemayor ordered the aerospace company to provide wage rates, regional salary information and productivity data from various company locations to the union, which represents engineers and technical workers. 

The order also tells Boeing to provide notice of the ruling to all the employees whose collective bargaining rights were violated.

“This pattern of disdain towards the workforce and the laws that protect those workers should worry everyone who is a stakeholder in the Boeing Co.,” SPEEA Executive Director Ray Goforth said in a statement. “This lawless behavior is not helpful.”

Boeing did not immediately return requests for comment. In May, Boeing was found guilty of illegally intimidating SPEEA members through the use of surveillance during the same contract negotiations.

The SPEEA, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, represents around 25,000 aerospace professionals at Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kan., and Triumph Composite Systems Inc. in Spokane, Wash.

Boeing produces 787 Dreamliners at its Lowcountry and Puget Sound sites. The Boeing South Carolina plant is not unionized, though the Machinists union opened an office in the Lowcountry this year in an effort to unionize it.

NTSB, Japan investigators view battery X-rays

An example of an undamaged battery used in the Boeing 787. (Photo/NTSB)

Investigators are turning to X-ray images of lithium-ion batteries to help explain why one malfunctioned and possibly leaked on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Japan on Tuesday, according to a Reuters story.

Members of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau are studying the images in the hopes of finding what caused the issue this week, as well as what caused two battery-related problems on 787s in 2013, according to NTSB.

"The National Transportation Safety Board will participate in the investigation of a smoke event involving the main battery of a Japan Airlines B-787 that occurred while the aircraft was parked at Tokyo's Narita Airport on Jan. 14," the NTSB said in a statement. "The investigation is being led by the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau. NTSB aircraft systems investigator Mike Bauer will travel to Japan to assist with the investigation."

 GS Yuasa Corp., a Japanese firm that makes the batteries, scans the batteries with an X-ray-like system before they are shipped to check for problems, the story said.

No passengers were on board during the incident Tuesday and no one was hurt. Some aerosapce analysts say the battery problems have stirred some concerns of the 787's safety and reliability, while others say overall reliability has been sound.

It appears that one of the eight battery cells on the JAL 787 experienced venting issues, causing the smoke, according to preliminary information from Boeing. 

"Boeing redesigned the battery so that any thermal conditions in one cell doesn't spread to the others. It appears that this redesign may have worked,"  according to Uresh Sheth in his All Things 787 blog. "The question, however, still remains as to if this was another battery event and if so, why this cell experienced a thermal event."

Boeing 787 has battery issue in Tokyo

Japan Airlines grounded a Boeing 787 Dreamliner after gas was found coming out of a battery on a plane in Tokyo. JAL and All Nippon Airways grounded their 787 fleet after batteries overheated on two planes last year. (Photo/Boeing)

Japan Airlines temporarily grounded one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners at Tokyo's Narita International Airport yesterday, according to Reuters.

White smoke was seen outside of the plane and a battery cell reportedly showed signs of leaking.

The problem was discovered during scheduled maintenance, CBS News reported. No passengers were on board. The Boeing Co. said it appeared that a single battery cell released gas. 

This isn't the first time a 787 has been grounded. Nearly a year ago, a fire started aboard a different Japan Airlines' 787 at Logan International Airport in Boston. The National Transportation Safety Board continues its investigation into the cause of the fire and expects to make its findings public in the fall, the NTSB announced last week.

Both Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways grounded their 787 fleets after two 787 batteries overheated on two planes within a few weeks last year. Regulators then grounded the fleet in January 2013 for three months. Boeing had to redesign the battery and prove the planes to be both safe and reliable before they could fly again.

The Wall Street Journal reports that other airlines are operating the jet as normal while Boeing investigates the incident. Japan Airlines plans to return the jet to service after replacing the affected battery.

Aviation summit to focus on Palmetto State

The S.C. Aviation Association is holding its annual conference Feb. 12-14 at Wild Dunes Resort on the Isle of Palms.

If you’re interested in aviation in the Palmetto State — including industry updates from Federal Aviation Administration officials, the Transportation Security Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the S.C. Aeronautics Commission, among others — then this is the one conference you gotta attend.

The association said 80% of the airports in S.C. attend the annual conference, which also features educational seminars for fixed-base operators, airport managers, airport commissions and other aviation industry professionals.

Conference attendees also can schedule 20-minute, one-on-one sessions with FAA representatives to chat and ask questions.

There's also a golf tournament, which is really why you would come to the Isle of Palms in February anyway, right?

Check here to register and for the latest information on the conference, exhibitors and speakers.