737 FOD? Machinists Have It Covered

July 2012 751 AERO MECHANIC Page VOL. 67 NO. 6 JULY 2012 737 FOD? Machinists Have It Covered It’s the simple things. Simple pleasures. Simple truths. Simple life. But for one team of District 751 Machinists at Boeing, a simple fix to an annoying problem turned out to be a big problem solver – and something that will save them time and potentially make them more money. “It’s saving us 20 minutes here and 20 minutes there and 20 minutes there,” said Pete Atkinson, a Union Steward in Renton who was part of the team that came up with the solution. “It’s just really kind of simple but effective.” Atkinson is part of the Breakfast Club, a 38-member team that builds 737 wings in Renton. This spring, the group started brainstorming ways to improve their work processes under LOU 28 – the Letter of Understanding in the 2008 contract that teaches Machinists Union members about the business assump- tions behind the work they do – and empowers them to make changes in their shops that can improve on them. For the Breakfast Club, the big breakthrough was Members of the Breakfast Club in Renton pose with the square yellow vinyl cover that they conceived to figuring out how to fix a FOD issue. cut down on FOD and speed up the wing assembly process. The group – one of several in Renton – does its work on wings mounted on dollies. The dollies roll around on forcing Machinists to spend time digging them out. creating debris itself.” four sets of wheels that are attached to the body of the Metal shavings would fall into them too and get stuck. The Breakfast Club calculated that putting the vinyl dollies by long beams. And as the foam pads age, they start to deteriorate, covers over the foam resulted in saving three people 20 Those beams are situated in spots where Machinists which creates its own FOD issue that needs to be minutes of clean-up time on every single wing. Multi- working on the wings would bang their shins against the cleaned up to keep the foam and embedded metal ply that over all the wings they’ll build in a year to meet hard steel so at some point in the past, someone came up shavings from migrating into the wings. the current rate of 35 737s a month, and that’s a with the idea of putting thick foam pads around them, to So the Breakfast Club came up with a solution: Why significant cost savings. prevent constant bruising. not wrap up the foam pads? Boeing management has taken the concept and in That was all well and good, but the foam padding “We had a suggestion to make a vinyl cover over the looking to incorporate it elsewhere in Renton, and caused its own set of problems, said Lorne Carrier, the foam rubber. That way you could easily clean it up. It maybe even in Everett, Atkinson said. Breakfast Club team captain. keeps it from deteriorating,” Atkinson said. “It’s easier But it’s based on a common-sense principal, he said. Screws that fall into the thick padding would get lost, to maintain, it’s less time to clean up and it’s not Continued on page 4 Member Appreciation Inslee: We Won’t Be Another Wisconsin Day, Saturday July 14 Why did the Machinists Union EN- met with members of the Hanford Atomic away their retirement and health benefits See details for THUSIASTICALLY endorse Jay Inslee Metal Trades Council on June 19. The and curtail their rights to bargain with this day of family for Governor? Why does our union Council represents members of 15 dif- employers for something better. fun on page 2 and STRONGLY recommend you mark your ferent unions that represent workers at That’s what Gov. Scott Walker did in watch for a mailing ballot for Inslee when your Primary Elec- the Hanford site, including District 751 Wisconsin, and it’s a blueprint followed by with your ticket in tion ballot arrives within the next couple Machinists who belong to Local 1951. certain Republican governors from Maine early July! of weeks? Inslee’s comments reported Inslee, according to the newspaper, to Florida to Idaho, where states have by The Tri-Cities Herald as he met said there are two competing theories launched attacks against working people Hanford workers are a strong indicator about how to jump-start our nation’s and their rights under federal and state laws Dental Benefits why we support him for Governor. economy. Some Republicans — like his to be part of a labor union. Workers’ In a speech to union officers, Jay opponent, Rob McKenna — believe that pensions and right to collective bargaining Clarified at Boeing Inslee vowed Washington won’t be in- America will somehow be more pros- have been under attack when the wrong Boeing has clarified the details of den- fected with the Wisconsin virus. Inslee perous if you cut workers’ wages, take person is elected governor. tal coverage available to employees repre- Inslee rejects that approach, saying that sented by the Machinists Union in Puget Inslee has Washington needs a governor who will Sound, Portland and Wichita. Employees been a strong stand up for its hard-working middle class. can look on the web (www.iam751.org or supporter of Whether supporting the Hanford on page 5) for details of the Network workers and workforce in Tri-Cities, aerospace and Dental Plan, which replaces the Incentive 751 issues, aluminum workers throughout the state, Dental Plan as of July 1. including the woodworkers, shipyard or municipal In May, you were mailed information Boeing tanker workers, Inslee has been a constant and regarding the new network dental pro- deal. Photo effective advocate. That is why without gram. Many dental offices also received right: Talking exceptions, unions from across the state this information. Boeing and the IAM with members in and in every sector of the economy have have worked together to update the in- the Everett endorsed and are working to elect Inslee. formation to accurately reflect the terms plant at the Instead of attacking union workers, of the extension agreement. As shown in tanker Inslee said he will leverage the skills of the chart on page 5, coverage levels for celebration Hanford workers in eastern Washington dental services have increased across the last year. and Boeing employees in Puget Sound board. Continued on page 3 Continued on page 5 Honored for Green for the ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Inside Index Academics Guide Dogs President's Message ....... 2 Retirement...................... 9 Two children of 751 Motorcycle ride, fun run Political Action ................ 3 Want Ads ........................10 presented with IAM and poker tournament in the Primary Election ★ ★ TUESDAY ★ ★ Guide Dog Fundraisers .. 6 Community Service...... 11 Scholarship in nationwide deliver for Guide Dogs in AUGUST 7th Election Notice ............... 8 Eastern Washington .... 12 competition June 56See Voting Recommendations, page 3 Page 2 751 AERO MECHANIC July 2012 REPORT FROM THE PRESIDENT When Machinists Make Boeing Better, We All Win by Tom Wroblewski, But more than that, I feel these the best way to do that is to make improve- but by being the best. And how do we get District President kinds of improvements are vitally ments to our manufacturing process. If the there? By improving our processes. important to us as individual Ma- best aerospace workers in the world get To me, the best part about the incen- The Union appreciates chinists, to our union, Boeing, our even better, then the chances of us losing tive pay plan is that it pays cash to our all that our members do communities – and maybe even out to some other site shrink rapidly. That members at Boeing for doing something every day and as a thank our nation. means we’ll have good union jobs in the that’s in our best interest anyway. The you, we are holding a Mem- Let me explain why. aerospace industries for decades to come, things we do to secure future aerospace ber Appreciation day on For all of us, making process im- jobs that we can retire from and jobs for our work here in Puget Sound will help en- Saturday, July 14. This day provements is the key to achieving children to fill. sure America remains the world’s aero- of fun is a free event for the goals of the incentive pay plan, In this way, Machinists-driven pro- space leader, which will also improve members, retirees and their families. which starts this month. Finding ways to cess improvements can benefit our com- your individual bottom lines. Recognizing that our membership is get work done faster improves our overall munities, our families and our union. If this works the way we believe it will, spread out, we will hold the fair at two productivity. Finding ways to avoid acci- I think they can also benefit America. there’s no reason why, in our next contract, locations that day: the Evergreen State Fair- dents and injuries to our bodies is good for Every few months, it seems, I read we can’t convince Boeing to improve on the grounds in Monroe up north and the everyone. Finding ways to work toward some breathless story about how some incentive pay plan, to make the maximum Puyallup Fairgrounds in the southend. Gates first-pass quality will reduce defects and new competitor wants to break into the payouts higher. And it all starts when you go will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and I improve productivity. All of that makes it market for large commercial jets, and go to your first-line manager and say “I’ve got hope to see many of you and your families that much more certain that you’ll achieve head-to-head with Boeing and Airbus.

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