Boeing airplane chief urges union to consider new contract

Reuters
Boeing Commercial Airplanes' Chief Executive Ray Conner speaks during a news conference after conducting an All Nippon Airways' (ANA) Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner test flight at Haneda airport in Tokyo April 28, 2013. REUTERS/Yuya Shino

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Boeing Co Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Ray Conner on Friday urged machinist union members to consider a new labor contract that would help ensure Boeing builds its newest jet in the Seattle area. The letter, handed out on the factory floor on Friday, warned that Boeing's major "competitor wants to take more than 60 percent of the market," referring to Airbus . Boeing said Friday that without the labor deal and a set of tax breaks and other legislative measures, it will consider building the jet elsewhere. "I urge you to take the time to fully understand this proposal, and to talk with your family to determine how this affects our future," Conner wrote. Union members rallied on Friday and Thursday night against the proposed labor deal, which many members said contained too many take-aways. (Reporting by Alwyn Scott; Editing by Gary Hill)