Boeing Unveils Drug-Testing Plan -- Random Testing Scaled Back; Treatment To Be Emphasized

Boeing today announced a revised drug policy that dramatically scales back plans to randomly test for drug use, a part of the plan that had been criticized by the company's largest unions.

The revised policy, the details of which are subject to bargaining between the company and its unions, provides for random testing of less than 2 percent of the company's 160,000 union and non-union employees.

The company's two largest unions are the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAM), which represents about 58,000 Boeing workers in Seattle, Portland, and Wichita, and the Seattle Professional Engineering Employees Association (SPEEA), which represents 27,000 Seattle-area engineers.

The policy ``stresses rehabilitation as the cornerstone of its efforts to achieve and maintain a drug- and alcohol-free workplace,'' according to a statement by the company.

``I think it's a progressive plan because people won't get fired, they'll get helped,'' said Dan Mahoney, spokesman for SPEEA. ``I expect by the end of the month or soon after, we'll have a plan we can sanction for our members.''

In April, when Boeing's drug policy was first revealed, SPEEA was critical of the plan for its emphasis on drug testing rather than rehabilitation.

Today's announcement from Boeing said employees who voluntarily disclose drug- or alcohol-abuse problems will be referred to the company's Employee Assistance Program for counseling, rehabilitation and follow-up care. The company plans to give employees two shots at rehabilitation; a third failed drug test would result in firing, the company said.

The new plan provides for random testing of pilots, flight engineers and navigators, aircraft maintenance workers and over-the-road vehicle operators.

Also, the plan provides for testing when the company has ``reasonable suspicion of drug or alcohol use by an employee or as part of an investigation of on-the-job accidents.

Boeing has tested all new hires for drug use since February 1987.