Whether it’s providing internet to communities devastated by storms or supporting the U.S. military at war, Craig Garriott has long believed that the satellites he builds for Boeing can help save lives. It’s here.
Mr. Garriott, 53, says company management needs to protect the lives of hundreds of engineers at Boeing facilities where he has worked for nearly 30 years.
“They take the focus off of quality and the people on the ground and focus entirely on profits and speed,” Garriott said in an exclusive interview with CBS News senior transportation correspondent Chris Van Cleve. spoke. “Now that Boeing is in control, I’m afraid they won’t listen to me until someone dies.”
He said efforts by Boeing executives to expand production at the company’s military and commercial satellite factories in the Los Angeles area have led to a “toxic culture” that puts workers there at risk. Garriott recalled how a four-ton satellite, estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, crashed onto the factory floor because it was not properly secured, and said the accident was so tragic that , he likened it to “a plane falling from the sky.”
“One person was under the satellite, but he barely made it out,” said Garriott, who is president of the local carpenters union and represents 600 hourly workers. “This is the worst thing that can happen on site.”
A Boeing spokesperson did not respond to specific questions about the incident. “Boeing is committed to the safety of our employees, and all employees are empowered and encouraged to report any safety concerns,” a spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News. ” he said.
Garriott’s claims reflect concerns raised by multiple whistleblower They have worked on Boeing’s commercial airliners, including the malfunctioning 737 MAX. And they will add to the woes already facing Boeing’s space division.
Boeing’s most high-profile space failure occurred in September, when the company’s Starliner spacecraft suffered a series of technical problems during a crewed test flight to the International Space Station. NASA decided that the return flight would be too dangerous, so it returned to Earth without the two astronauts that had been scheduled. Those astronauts will instead return next year in a capsule built by rival SpaceX and its CEO Elon Musk.
Appointed by President-elect Trump to lead new policies Government Efficiency BureauMr. Musk could wield significant influence over lucrative space and defense contracts, potentially putting Boeing in an even worse position.
According to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal, Boeing, the company that helped put humans on the moon, is now looking for a new direction and hinting at the possibility of selling part of its space business. That’s what it means. During Boeing’s October earnings call, new CEO Kelly Ortberg suggested the company was reevaluating its portfolio.
“It’s better to do less and do better than to do less and do better,” Ortberg said.
A Boeing spokesperson did not respond to questions about how the company views competition with SpaceX or what steps it is taking to prepare for the incoming administration.
Garriott estimates he has filed 300 to 400 safety violations in the past year.
The satellite manufacturing facility, acquired by Boeing in 2000, has long been considered one of Boeing’s more stable business units. Garriott said the manufacturing and testing of satellites and their components relies in part on union employees.
“This is probably the most skilled group of hourly workers you’ll find on this planet,” said Garriott, who estimated they’ve filed 300 to 400 safety violations in the past year. He said these complaints range from interference with fire extinguishers and fire alarms to concerns about heavy equipment blocking exits and trapping workers in certain areas of the factory.
Garriott said union members filed a complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in October, highlighting dangerous conditions at the plant.
Another technician at the facility, who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity to protect his job, said safety has become an “afterthought” and quality has “degraded” over the past five or six years.
“Speak up now, you troublemaker.”
Mr. Garriott sued Boeing in April, alleging that company management retaliated against him for raising safety issues. He has been harassed by leaders at the facility and is the subject of dozens of corporate investigations, which he says have turned up nothing and merely threatened him.
“When I first joined Boeing, the people who spoke up and said, ‘This isn’t right,’ were respected,” Garriott said. “Speak up now, you troublemaker.”
Boeing said in a statement that it investigated Garriott’s claims and disputes the allegations in the lawsuit.
“Boeing has a strict policy prohibiting retaliation against employees who raise concerns, and Boeing did not retaliate against Mr. Garriott,” a Boeing spokesperson said.
Garriott is the latest whistleblower to claim the company retaliated against him after raising safety concerns. John Barnett, former quality manager for the company’s 787 Dreamliner factory, said: died by suicide In March, he testified in a whistleblower retaliation case in Charleston, South Carolina.
Barnett’s mother, Vicki Stokes he told CBS News in April. she has it Major aircraft manufacturer She was responsible for the poor treatment that ultimately disappointed her son.
“If this hadn’t gone on so long, I still have a son, my sons have a brother, and we wouldn’t be sitting here. So, in that respect, I think so.” said Stokes when asked. She blames Boeing in part for her son’s death.
In June, former Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun He told members of the Senate Investigations Subcommittee. Boeing’s culture is “far from perfect,” he said, but the company is “committed to making sure all employees feel like they can speak up if there are issues.” He also said Boeing is working to improve “transparency and accountability while increasing employee engagement.”
Garriott said his family is concerned about enduring further retaliation from Boeing, but is now speaking out publicly to improve conditions for the workers he swore to protect as union president. .
“I’m not going to stop until I know that Boeing means something to these people and understands that they’re important,” Garriott said, urging Boeing executives to continue to work with factory floor workers. He urged them to open a dialogue with the government. “Make them feel like they matter. Make them feel like their safety matters.”
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