Boeing, a US company, has been deeply embroiled in a public opinion controversy due to frequent plane accidents and the mysterious deaths of whistleblowers. On June 19th, the Southern Metropolitan Daily reporter learned that the Standing Committee of the United States Senate Investigation Committee recently held a hearing on Boeing's security issues. At the hearing, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun admitted that some employees have retaliated against the whistleblower.
According to previous reports from Nandu, on January 5th local time, an emergency hatch of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft fell and made an emergency landing shortly after takeoff. Afterwards, multiple whistleblowers came forward to point out quality issues with Boeing's aircraft, and some claimed that they were retaliated against by Boeing as a result.
Previously, John Barnett, the whistleblower who worked as a quality control manager at Boeing in the United States and exposed multiple safety hazards in the company's products, was found dead in Charleston, South Carolina. It is reported that Barnett was originally scheduled to undergo further cross examination by Boeing lawyers on March 9th local time, but he did not appear. Later, in the parking lot of the hotel where he stayed, he was found dead in his car with a gunshot wound to the head and holding a handgun tightly. After investigation, the police determined that the cause of death was suicide.
At a hearing held on June 18th local time, when asked about his feelings about Barnet's death, Calhoun replied, "I am very saddened.".
Senator Richard Blumenthal, Chairman of the United States Senate Standing Committee on Investigation, stated on the same day that the committee had heard reports from more than ten whistleblowers from Boeing.
At the hearing, Calhoun said, "We are committed to ensuring that every employee can speak freely when encountering problems. We have also established strict policies prohibiting retaliation against employees who step forward. Our job is to listen, and no matter how we receive feedback, we will take it seriously."
When asked how many Boeing employees were fired for retaliating against the whistleblower, Calhoun said he didn't know the exact number.