Boeing CEO Regrets ‘Cowering’ Employees Gaffe
July 29, 2014
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Boeing CEO Jim NcNerney sent a companywide message saying a comment he made during an earnings call with reporters last week was a “joke gone bad.”
McNerney had said he won’t retire after turning 65 next month because “the heart will still be beating, the employees will still be cowering, I’ll be working hard.”
“Boeing’s CEO would have been far better served to give credit to the workforce that has driven the company’s sales and profits to record levels,” said IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger in a statement issued last week. “Instead, his unfunny and unnecessary remarks serve as reminder that the Jack Welch style of anti-personnel management is still alive and well at Boeing. If he is able to get his foot out of his mouth, the very next thing we hear from Mr. McNerney should be a sincere apology to all employees at Boeing.”
The IAM represents more than 32,000 Boeing workers across North America.
