A Boeing Rival Comes Aboard -- For Workers, Merger's A Chance To Build More Planes

For Robert Dunn, it's now the Yanks against the Europeans.

Dunn, a Boeing avionics-systems technician, walked out of the flight center at Boeing Field at the end of his shift yesterday, excited about the possibilities of his company acquiring McDonnell Douglas.

"We make the best planes in the world," said Dunn. "And now we'll be able to make more of them."

With former rival McDonnell Douglas in the Boeing family, Dunn, a nine-year Boeing veteran, said the company can improve the quality of airplanes and make them cheaper.

That, he said, will help Boeing capture more orders from its toughest competitor, Airbus Industrie, the European aircraft consortium.

Dunn's reaction was a common one among Boeing employees.

Workers at the Everett plant were generally enthusiastic this morning.

Jerry Thompson, who installs aircraft wiring, praised Boeing's aggressive leadership.

"I don't know where they got Mr. Condit," he said. "I'm not sure where he's flying this airplane. But I want to go with him."

From the Boeing rank and file to union leaders to Gov. Mike Lowry, people learned about the merger from news broadcasts - or from reporters.

Dave Kozy, a Boeing research-and-development engineer, had not heard of the merger yesterday afternoon. While he was a bit surprised, he said the move was not unexpected in light of Boeing's decision two weeks ago to collaborate with McDonnell Douglas engineers on stretch versions of the 747 jetliner.

Paul White, who works in maintenance at the Everett plant, called the merger "nothing but good."

"Right now, Boeing has sold so many airplanes that we don't have the manpower to build them," he said. "We're tired of jobs being off-loaded overseas, and maybe more jobs will be staying here because of the merger."

Bill Johnson, president of Machinists Local 751, which represents 33,000 production workers at Boeing, had a mixed reaction.

He expressed some concern that the merger could affect the workers he represents but did not see a great threat that work would be transferred out of Seattle.

Instead, Johnson said, he saw more positive results from the merger, which would expand Boeing's capacity to develop new airplanes.

"Boeing could ultimately sell more airplanes because it would meet the needs of airlines sooner," he said. "That could lead to more jobs up here and more stability."

David Clay, a jig builder at the Everett plant who is challenging Johnson for president of the Machinists local, said he hoped the merger will provide greater job security.

"I'm cautiously positive about it," Clay said. "When large corporations merge into virtual monopolies, the work force is concerned about their future - where they're going to be working, how long they're going to be working."

Some Boeing workers were not so pleased with Boeing's acquisition of its longtime competitor.

"I think more competition is better," said Randy Barnett, who works in tooling at the Everett plant. Competition improves the quality and lowers the cost of planes, he said.

But with increasing consolidation in the aerospace market, the merger is a good move because it gives Boeing a stronger position for the future, said Charles Bofferding, executive director of the Seattle Professional Employees Association, which represents almost 23,000 Boeing engineers.

Bofferding said the merger raises questions, however, such as whether work will move from the Puget Sound area to California or St. Louis. The union will try to get answers to those questions and learn more about what the merger really means for engineers.

"Yes, companies are merging," he said. "But individuals' careers are also being affected."

The merging of two distinct work cultures will also take work, Bofferding said.

"Getting employees focused on the idea that you're all on the same team now, those are always significant challenges," he said.

The merger was heralded by McDonnell Douglas engineers in Southern California, where morale has been low because of dwindling work in the commercial-aircraft division, said Ed Olson, president of the Southern California Professional Engineering Association. The union represents about 5,000 McDonnell Douglas engineers in Southern California.

"It bodes well for the technical work force that's here in Southern California," he said. "It's going to help the whole McDonnell Douglas Corporation and stabilize the work."

Because Boeing has been overloaded with airplane orders recently, the merger could mean a shift of work to California, where, Olson said, "We have the open floor space and engineers that can take on the work."

But overall, the merger means Boeing is investing in its future and the Puget Sound area. Political leaders who had heard of the deal were enthusiastic.

"This is absolutely great news," said Gov.-elect Gary Locke. "This will truly stabilize Boeing's future in the aerospace industry. . . . It can only have a positive impact on employment for the Pacific Northwest."

Seattle Times staff reporters Keith Ervin and Tyrone Beason contributed to this report.