Executives to Boeing: Stay home

SEATTLE -- Executives from some of Washington state's largest employers on Tuesday urged Boeing Co. to build a second assembly line for its long-delayed 787 Dreamliner in their state, entering the fray in an interstate competition for the facility.

In a letter to Jim Albaugh, the head of Boeing's commercial aircraft unit, more than two dozen corporate leaders from the Washington Roundtable wrote that "we encourage you to locate that line here in Washington, where we have a long track record of demonstrable success together."

Boeing's commercial aircraft division is based in Everett, Wash. States seen as competitors to Washington include South Carolina (North Charleston), North Carolina, Kansas, Texas and California.

South Carolina business officials kept mum on the details of their own courtship with the aerospace giant.

S.C. Chamber of Commerce president Otis Rawl said Wednesday that leaders met with Boeing representatives a few weeks ago and expect a decision before the end of the year.

Rawl would not disclose whether any South Carolina business supporters have sent any correspondence to Boeing similar to the letter from the Washington Roundtable, citing attacks on the Palmetto State that have been lobbed from the Evergreen State.

"I think (the state Commerce Department) just wants us to let the sleeping dog lie," he said. "It shows up negative in the press out there."

Charleston Regional Development Alliance spokeswoman Karen Kuckenbecker also declined to comment.

She said the agency's policy bars her from discussing expansions the alliance might be working on.

Labor relations are considered key to persuading Boeing to keep 787 production in Washington.

Boeing has indicated that it wants a no-strike agreement with the International Association of Machinists union, which waged an eight-week walkout last year that shut down the company's commercial airplane facilities.

Last month, Boeing employees at the company's 787 fuselage plant in North Charleston voted overwhelmingly to nullify a 2007 election that made them members of the IAM.

"We recognize that Washington continually must improve its competitive standing in today's global economy," the Washington executives said in the letter. "In recent years, we have made progress on a number of issues that are important to both Boeing and the rest of the business community, but agree that more work remains to be done."

They continued: "... We pledge our support to you and your entire company in working to ensure Washington remains the single best place for you to design, build and market commercial airplanes."

Boeing spokesman Bernard Choi said the company appreciated "the interests and concerns of our Puget Sound colleagues."

"We have and will continue to evaluate the many factors that would be part of a decision on a potential second line for the 787," he said in an e-mail message.

Among the executives who signed the letter were William S. Ayer, chairman and chief executive officer of Alaska Airlines; Colleen B. Brown, president and CEO of Fisher Communications; Jeff Brotman, chairman and co-founder of Costco Wholesale; and Phyllis J. Campbell, chairwoman of the Pacific Northwest of JPMorgan Chase.

Boeing recently filed construction plans for a 787 assembly plant at its existing campus at Charleston International Airport but has stressed it did that in order to be ready to begin work quickly if it decides to build the new line in South Carolina.

Allyson Bird of The Post and Courier contributed to this report.