Gov. Jay Inslee says he stands by the decision to extend nearly $9 billion in tax breaks to Boeing in an effort to win the 777X. But in comments made Thursday, he made it clear he doesn’t like playing the corporate tax subsidy game.
“I wish in a different world, maybe in the afterlife, we won’t have to deal with corporations like this. But until we find a way where all the states can agree not to subsidize these companies, it’s the soup we’re in. And my view is I want people to have work. It’s a real thing to me,” he said.
Inslee made his comments to me on TVW’s “Inside Olympia” program.
I asked the Democratic governor: is it fair for Boeing to demand pension concessions from machinists at the same time the company’s earnings are so high that it’s increasing dividends to shareholders?
“I would answer that no, it is not fair, but it is real,” he said.
Inslee says he respects the machinists to make their own decision about the contract. Last week, the governor rankled some union leaders when he called for a vote on Boeing’s latest contract offer.
