By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Aviation Administration said on Tuesday it is investigating a union’s claims that Boeing (NYSE:) retaliated against two employees who insisted in 2022 that the plane maker reevaluate previous engineering work on aircraft. 777 and 787 jets.
The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) said the two unidentified engineers were representatives of the FAA, which delegates some of its oversight authority and certification process to Boeing workers.
The union filed an unfair labor practices complaint with the National Labor Relations Board last week, saying the two engineers received identical poor evaluations after the incident.
Boeing said in a statement that it has “zero tolerance for retaliation and encourages our employees to speak out when they see a problem. After an extensive review of documentation and interviewing more than a dozen witnesses, our investigators found no evidence of retaliation or interference. We have determined that the allegations are unsubstantiated.”
One of the two workers has left Boeing, the union said.
The FAA noted Tuesday that in 2022 it has strengthened oversight of aircraft manufacturers by protecting aviation industry employees performing agency functions from interference by their employers. A December 2021 Senate report found that “the FAA’s certification process suffers from undue pressure on line engineers and production personnel.”
“Boeing can tell Congress and the media all it wants about how retaliation is strictly prohibited,” said SPEEA director of strategic development Rich Plunkett. “But our union regularly fights retaliation cases, and in this specific case, Boeing is trying to withhold information that could shed light on what happened.”
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The union filed the complaint seeking access to a report Boeing submitted to the FAA about the accident.
The union said engineers were at odds with Boeing managers in 2022, when they “insisted on using a different set of assumptions in analyzing the computer networks onboard Boeing 777s and 787s, in order to comply with new guidelines FAA guidance.”
The union said Boeing executives opposed it, saying it would cost money and cause production delays. After nearly six months of debate, the two engineers, with support from the FAA, prevailed and Boeing redid the required analysis, the union added.
Last week, whistleblower Sam Salehpour, a Boeing quality engineer who had raised questions about Boeing’s widebody jets, told senators that he was told to “shut up” when he reported safety problems. He said he was removed from the 787 program and transferred to the 777 jet because of his questions.