After an initial meeting Tuesday, Boeing Co. began serious negotiations with the Machinists union Wednesday, seeking a labor deal that would secure the building of the 777X jet for Everett, Wash.
A person with knowledge of what’s going on said things are moving fast and that if the talks are successful, a new vote on a contract extension could be held before Christmas.
Georgia was one of potentially dozens of states to enter the high-stakes bidding war for the 777X. The price tag in tax breaks, infrastructure and other perks could climb into the billions of dollars.
Gov. Nathan Deal told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week the state intended to respond to Boeing’s request for proposals.
A spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Economic Development declined to comment Tuesday when asked by an AJC reporter if the state in fact submitted an offer.
The two sides — including senior executives for Boeing, local business representatives, and national officials for the union — are meeting at the Renton, Wash., headquarters of Boeing’s commercial airplanes division to discuss how the original offer that was rejected Nov. 13 might be modified to make it acceptable.
In a note Wednesday to International Association of Machinists members, District 751 President Tom Wroblewski said, “The goal of today’s meeting is to see what the two sides can do to secure Puget Sound as the site for 777X fabrication and final assembly. Our membership wants to build this airplane, and we believe Boeing wants to do it here.”
Wroblewski said union members would be updated after Wednesday’s meeting. Boeing spokesman Doug Alder declined to provide any details on the negotiations.
Tuesday was the deadline for states around the country to submit their bids for the 777X work. But if a deal with the Machinists is concluded, it would abruptly end the site search competition and secure all the 777X work for Washington state.
Reporter J. Scott Trubey contributed to this report.
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