Whew!

There was a palpable sense of relief – along with a lot of smiles – this week when Boeing announced that it would build its 737 MAX in Renton.

To anyone who works or lives in Renton or is concerned about the future of the aerospace industry in Washington state, the decision seems like a no-brainer.  But Boeing did look around,  just like it did for a 787 production plant and a new world headquarters. We know how all that turned out, two low points on the roller coaster that is life with Boeing.

So, it should be clear that as Gov. Chris Gregoire has pointed out, we can take nothing for granted. We are in a competitive atmosphere that spans the globe for such manufacturing prizes as the production of what’s been called a game-changing airliner.

That’s why it’s so important to credit one of the key players in the talks that ultimately led to Boeing’s decision – the Machinists. The Machinists and the engineers union have been on board the statewide effort to keep the 737 MAX production in Washington state.

Despite years of acrimony and strikes, the Machinists and Boeing found common ground. We all should thank them for their willingness to do what’s right for everyone.  We like what Machinists Local 751  president Tom Wroblewski had to say:

“This proposed agreement with Boeing is good for our members, good for the company and good for our communities.”

Of course, each side benefitted. But the point is they set aside their differences and gave a little or a lot to reach this landmark agreement.

That’s the type of leadership we demand from our political leaders in Washington, D.C., and  Olympia. Our nation’s capital has become a bastion of do-nothings, hamstrung by philosophies that play to the extremes, leaving out all of us in the middle.

So, while Boeing and the Machinists have taken a critical step forward to keep the 737 MAX production in Renton, there is still much more work to do outside our halls of government. We must all work to ensure the success of  Gregoire’s plan to keep the aerospace industry strong and even present in our state.

We must strengthen our math and science programs at all levels of education and train or retrain workers at such important two-year colleges as Renton Technical College where necessary production skills are learned.  Our four-year universities are wilting under Olympia’s failure to adequately fund education. We favor an increase in the sales tax to staunch that red ink.

So while we’re at it, we would also demand that legislators quickly approve the training and education package valued at about $9.8 million that Gregoire has put forth to ready our state to prepare future aerospace workers.

It was a good week in Renton or anywhere else where communities depend on the aerospace industry.