Boeing Work Force in Palmdale

I would like to clarify several issues raised by your Sept. 11 story on Boeing’s B-2 work force in Palmdale.

Your story focused on approximately 450 Boeing workers from Seattle on temporary assignment in Palmdale, questioning the strength of Boeing’s efforts to hire locally--as well as the extra expense that such a practice might add to the B-2 program as a whole.

To expand on the facts outlined in your story, Boeing currently has 866 employees working in Palmdale in support of Northrop’s B-2 final assembly. Of these, 415 were hired locally or permanently transferred to the area.

We agree that we should hire a local work force to meet our needs to the maximum extent possible. In the last year and a half, 11 recruiting sessions for hourly and salaried workers for the B-2 program have been held in Palmdale and the greater Los Angeles area (Boeing also recruits extensively in Southern California for openings throughout the company).

Advertisements for B-2 Palmdale have appeared in the Antelope Valley, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Bernardino newspapers. Despite these aggressive efforts, we could not hire all the people we needed with the specific skills required. We also increased our wage scale.

As to the cost factor in using temporary workers, there is no advantage to Boeing; in fact, to the contrary, added cost reduces any profit we may earn.

Boeing--despite the fact that we are headquartered in Seattle--has a very positive impact on the Southern California economy. Last year, Boeing purchased about $2 billion in products and services from companies in Los Angeles and Orange counties. About half of our 120 key B-2 suppliers are located in your area, and Boeing contracts with more than 900 suppliers in the Los Angeles Basin. To give just one example, Northrop’s local work for Boeing on the 747 fuselage is directly responsible for 2,700 jobs in your local economy.

C.G. KING

Executive Vice President

Boeing Defense: Space Group

Seattle