Western Washington, South Carolina hold breath on Boeing

SEATTLE- Washington State is holding its breath as to Boeing's decision on where to put its second 787 assembly line. And as we all know that choice is down to Everett and Charleston, South Carolina.  

South Carolina is also turning a collective shade of blue as the clock ticks down to a decision.

Boeing CEO Jim McNerney said in a confernce call last Thursday that the comapny's decision would happen this week or next, so the pressure's on. They could be the longest two weeks on record, but that doesn't mean the decision couldn't come soon.

In Columbia, South Carolina, that state's capitol, there is buzz about whether a special session of the legislature scheduled for tomorrow will try and sweeten the incentive pot for any Boeing deal.  The special session is being called to "tweak" a problem with the state's unemployment insurance fund, but sources are divided as to whether the Boeing issue will come up or not. 

That may be because the elephant in the room is the desire by some  legislators to leverage the session into the  impeachment of GOP Governor Mark Sanford.  You'll recall that Sanford disappeared several months ago to meet with a woman in Argentina he's called his "soul mate."  Sanford is also under investigation by a state inquiry as to whether he used a state plane for personal or political purposes.

All this is happening as Boeing's Board is meeting, and the location of the second line is speculated  to be topic number one. 

CEO McNerney has made no secret of the fact that the back to back strikes by the Machinists union here in Puget Sound last year and in 2005 have him looking for some way to minimize labor risk to the company.  But many industry analysts say trying to set up a second line in South Carolina is a very risky maneuver for an airplane program already two years behind schedule.  The board's job  may be to assess which risk is "less risky."

On the labor front, today's news is  no news. No word yet on whether Boeing and the Machinists' union have come to an accord on a strike moritorium for the next ten years.   But the word is they're still on contact.