Boeing's top labor negotiator to retire, may consult for Ford's Mulally
Jerry Calhoun, Boeing's top labor negotiator, will retire sometime early next year and may then do some consulting for former boss Alan Mulally at Ford Motor, according to a person familiar with his plans.
News of Calhoun's departure is no surprise to the Boeing unions, but it elicited diametrically opposed reactions from blue-collar and white-collar labor representatives.
"We'll miss him at negotiations, but not in the fond kind of way," said Tom Buffenbarger, national leader of the International Association of Machinists. "I hope he learned some strong lessons with the IAM."
"Jerry leaving obviously will change the dynamics of negotiation," said Charles Bofferding, executive director of Boeing's engineering union. "We have a longstanding, positive and trusting relationship with Jerry."
The IAM has a bitter history with Boeing, striking the company six times, most recently for a month last fall. Its Boeing membership, which topped 37,000 in 1999, has been hit hard by downsizing and now stands at about 19,000.
In contrast, the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) union representing engineers and technical staffers struck only once, in 2000 (apart from a one-day strike in 1992). After the 2000 strike, the union's Puget Sound region membership was 16,500 and today is about 17,000.
The Detroit News reported Thursday that Calhoun, vice president of human resources at Boeing's Commercial Airplanes unit, is negotiating a consulting arrangement with former boss Alan Mulally, now chief executive at Ford.
A Boeing insider said Calhoun's retirement plan is independent of that opportunity.
He said Calhoun, 63, has already bought and furnished a retirement home in a warmer climate — not in Detroit — and has told people close to him that he'll leave Boeing in early to mid-2007 and does plan to do some post-retirement consulting.
Under the mandatory retirement policy for senior Boeing executives, Calhoun would be required to retire no later than April 2009.
For now, Calhoun remains in his position at Boeing. "Jerry has not announced his plans," said Boeing spokesman Chris Villiers. "He's still the vice president."
IAM spokeswoman Connie Kelliher said Calhoun told union officials during last fall's contract negotiations that he wouldn't be around for the 2008 negotiations.
Calhoun went through periods of massive layoffs at Boeing, and the Detroit News reported that Mulally is seeking his expertise in implementing cost-saving plans at Ford that will cut some 44,000 jobs and close auto plants.
The one-time Boeing mechanic cut a steely, articulate and self-possessed figure during his appearances in the public spotlight every three years, when contract talks were in progress.
But leaders of the two unions he faced across the negotiating table had sharply different opinions about Calhoun.
IAM international president Buffenbarger slammed Calhoun's for pushing a hard line on layoffs, outsourcing and rewriting of work rules.
He said company negotiating mistakes led directly to strikes, and he blamed Calhoun.
"I don't think he was the right man for the job," Buffenbarger said.
SPEEA leader Bofferding painted a contrasting picture.
"We didn't and we don't like layoffs. Jerry and I have tussled over the years," Bofferding said. "But I don't see Jerry as the polite face of a tough policy. I saw Jerry as a no-nonsense implementer that had empathy for employees."
When management decided layoffs were necessary, Bofferding said, Calhoun conveyed the business realities with due concern for the impact on individuals.
"Within the constraints placed on a person working for a large corporation, he had his own moral compass that clearly was guiding him in our negotiations," Bofferding said. "I saw him as a champion of what was right."
Finding a replacement for Calhoun won't be easy.
"To do that job well, you're going to need someone to step up and be a strong advocate, credible to both sides, both labor and management," Bofferding said. "Often as a negotiator, you're stuck in the middle."
A person close to Boeing labor-relations officials said one top candidate is Doug Kight, a Boeing lawyer and longtime member of the labor negotiations team.
Another possible contender is Gene Wolosyhn, vice president of labor relations at corporate headquarters in Chicago.
Dominic Gates: 206-464-2963 or dgates@seattletimes.com