Boeing's next 777x aircraft will be built in Washington's Puget Sound All Alabama reported Friday.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Engineers passed a contract for construction about where to build the company's latest aircraft Friday All Alabama reported.
"Our members have spoken and this is the course we'll take," Tom Wroblewski, president of Machinists Union District Lodge 751 told All Alabama.
"All along we knew that our members wanted to build that 777X, and that it was in Boeing's best interest to have them do it," Wroblewski told All Alabama. "Now it's up to all of us to pull together to make this airplane program successful. I'm confident we will do that, because as we've said all along, this is the most-skilled aerospace workforce in the world." Union members will get $15,000 in bonuses for the $10 million endeavor All Alabama reported.
The union originally did not agree to the terms of a deal in October which would have made their healthcare more expensive, eliminated their pension, and give Boeing a 20 year timeframe to construct the transporter.
Boeing considered locations in Charleston, S.C., Huntsville, Ala., Long Beach, Calif., Philadelphia and St. Louis the company said in a memo in October Reuters reported.
"If the contract is ratified, the 777X will be built in the Puget Sound area by Boeing employees represented by the IAM," Boeing said in a statement Friday All Alabama reported. "This work includes fuselage build, final assembly and major components fabrication such as interiors and wires," Boeing said in the statement said.
"The work also includes the composite wing fabrication and assembly. There is no other composite wing production facility in the U.S. today," Boeing said in the statement. "Current mechanics will have the opportunity to be trained for this new composite work, which could set the stage for the next generation of manufacturing innovation in the Puget Sound region.
In addition, Boeing commits to fabricate and assemble the 737 MAX in the Puget Sound and KC-46 Tanker and P-8 production work in Puget Sound and Portland through 2024," the statement said.
