Boeing's ability to end a costly strike and extra FAA scrutiny looks uncertain

Boeing's critics often claim that two deadly jetliner crashes a few years ago and the blowout of a section of a third plane in January made clear that the aircraft manufacturer cut corners during production and put profits above safety. The head of the FAA, Boeing's regulator, said Tuesday that while it is not his job to assess Boeing's finances, giving too little attention to safety has not turned out well for the company. “Even if profits were your No. 1 goal, safety really needs to be your No. 1 goal because it's hard to be profitable if you're not safe, and I think Boeing certainly has learned that," FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said during a U.S. House subcommittee hearing. “Whatever money might have been saved has certainly been lost in the fallout.” The observation might have been an understatement. Boeing has lost more than $25b since the start of 2019 and fallen far behind rival Airbus in orders and deliveries of planes to airline customers. A strike by the factory workers who assemble the company's best-selling planes is further weighing on Boeing's output and finances. Striking Boeing workers were back on picket lines in the Pacific Northwest a day after Boeing announced a “best and final offer” for a contract that wold include bigger pay increases and more bonus money than were in a proposal that union members overwhelmingly rejected earlier this month. Boeing pitched the new offer directly to workers, circumventing negotiators for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Regional union leaders, who endorsed the original contract offer that rank-and-file members rejected, reacted angrily to the presentation of the new offer and said they would not call a ratification vote before a Friday night deadline the company set.<br/>