Mike Boyd, President of Boyd Group International, and Stewart Glickman, Deputy Research Director at CFRA, discuss the consumer and market implications of Boeing’s recent safety incidents.
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According to documents released by his attorneys, the Boeing whistleblower, who was found dead earlier this month, had claimed that a manager at his previous company had spied on him. Additionally, he stated that he had been “harassed, denigrated, [and] humiliated” for bringing up concerns regarding quality control issues.
According to the Charleston County Coroner’s Office, John Barnett, aged 62, passed away on March 9th from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Prior to his untimely demise, Barnett had initiated legal proceedings against Boeing. He claimed that the company’s actions had resulted in his “constructive discharge” in March 2017. Barnett was seeking compensation for back pay, lost benefits, and emotional distress.
According to a lawsuit filed by John M. Barnett, a former Quality Manager at Boeing, he claims that during his seven years at Boeing South Carolina (BSC), he repeatedly raised concerns about a culture of secrecy at BSC. He alleges that he and other quality personnel were pressured by upper management to ignore Federal Aviation Administration Standards and Regulations, as well as Boeing’s own processes and procedures. The lawsuit, released by his attorneys and obtained by WCSC, states that these violations involved not properly documenting and addressing defects.
According to the lawsuit, Barnett did not yield to the pressure and consistently brought up concerns that required thorough documentation and resolution. As a result of his complaints and efforts to address these issues, Barnett claims that he received low Performance Management scores, was isolated from his team, relocated to different sections within the plant, and was prohibited from transferring to other divisions of Boeing.
According to the filing, upper management engaged in a gaslighting campaign against him, subjecting him to harassment, denigration, humiliation, and contempt. This calculated behavior was aimed at discouraging him and others from addressing the issues and complying with the law. The filing states that this hostile work environment ultimately led to Barnett’s decision to resign.
In January 2017, Barnett received notification that his name was included in an email titled “Quality Managers to get rid of,” which was placed on a supervisor’s desk. This information was disclosed in a lawsuit filed with the U.S. Department of Labor.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA | THE BOEING CO. | 187.73 | -0.10 | -0.05% |
Barnett consistently raised objections to Boeing’s creation and maintenance of an unauthorized program that permitted mechanics to inspect and approve their own work. This program, known as the Multi-function Process Performer, was not approved by the FAA.
Boeing 787 Dreamliners are manufactured at the assembly plant of the aviation company in North Charleston, South Carolina, on May 30, 2023.
According to the lawsuit, there was a situation in 2012 where a supervisor attempted to make Barnett work in a manner that went against the established procedures. When Barnett expressed his concerns via email to another supervisor, the response he received was disbelief and no action was taken to investigate the issue.
The report also detailed Barnett’s concerns about numerous instances of parts being taken from one airplane and used on another unfinished airplane without proper documentation, traceability, or engineering review. In addition, it mentioned a complaint he made in June 2014 regarding a manager who was allegedly spying on him.
When questioned about the lawsuit, Boeing expressed their condolences for Mr. Barnett’s passing and extended their thoughts to his loved ones.
A Boeing spokesperson stated that they thoroughly examined and resolved the quality concerns brought up by Mr. Barnett prior to his retirement in 2017, along with other quality issues mentioned in the complaint.
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