Boeing’s C-suite ‘needs to go,’ whistleblower says

(NewsNation) — A Boeing whistleblower says it’s time for leadership change at the airplane manufacturer after more safety concerns continue to make international headlines.

“My No. 1 recommendation is that the C-suite needs to go,” Ed Pierson said on NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.” “I mean, they are crushing the company. They are allowing one bad thing after the next, and they just keep making a bunch of broken promises.”

Pierson, who previously told NewsNation he would not fly on one of Boeing’s beleaguered 737 Maxes, said the leadership seems to be out of touch with the company itself.

“They rarely, rarely spend any time in the factory walking the factory floors. If they did, they would learn a lot about the challenges that our employees face,” Pierson said.

He was also reluctant to place any blame for Boeing’s recent bad publicity on employees.

“Our union employees are the backbone of the company, and they’re not properly compensated for their ridiculous work hours,” Pierson said.

Pierson hasn’t been the only one critical of Boeing’s leadership.

When it comes to safety culture at the company, there is a “disconnect” between senior management and workers, and employees responsible for checking the company’s planes question whether they can raise issues without fear of retaliation, according to a panel of outside experts.

The aviation industry and government experts also said safety training and procedures at Boeing are constantly changing, leading to confusion among employees.

The comments were contained in a February report to the Federal Aviation Administration. Congress ordered the study in 2020 when it passed legislation to reform how the FAA certifies new planes after two deadly crashes involving Boeing 737 Max jetliners.