FAA Investigates Union Claims of Retaliation Against Boeing Engineers in 2022

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Tuesday that it is looking into allegations made by a union regarding Boeing’s alleged retaliation against two engineers who advocated for a re-evaluation of prior engineering work on 777 and 787 jets in 2022.

According to the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), the two engineers, who remain unnamed, were representatives of the FAA and had raised concerns about the engineering work on the aircraft.

SPEEA filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that both engineers received negative evaluations following the incident.

In response, Boeing stated that it has a “zero tolerance for retaliation” and conducted a thorough review of the allegations but found no evidence to support them.

One of the engineers has reportedly left Boeing, as per the union’s statement.

The FAA highlighted its increased oversight of planemakers in 2022 and underscored the importance of protecting aviation industry employees who perform agency functions.

SPEEA’s Director of Strategic Development, Rich Plunkett, criticized Boeing’s response, stating that the company is attempting to conceal information related to the incident.

The union is seeking access to a report submitted by Boeing to the FAA regarding the matter.

According to SPEEA, the engineers clashed with Boeing management in 2022 over the analysis of on-board computer networks on Boeing 777s and 787s. Despite objections from Boeing managers, the engineers, with FAA support, insisted on using different assumptions in the analysis to comply with new FAA guidance.

This dispute reportedly lasted for nearly six months, during which the engineers eventually succeeded in convincing Boeing to redo the analysis.

The investigation comes in the wake of whistleblower Sam Salehpour’s testimony last week, in which he claimed to have been silenced by Boeing management after raising safety concerns about widebody jets. Salehpour alleged that he was transferred from the 787 program to the 777 jet due to his inquiries.

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, finance.yahoo.com