State lawmaker seeks to cut Boeing's tax breaks if company reduces workforce here

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A lawmaker says she will introduce a bill that could reduce Boeing's multibillion-dollar tax break if the company trims its overall Washington state workforce.

The Herald of Everett reported Monday that state Rep. June Robinson says her bill aims to ensure aerospace tax incentives are used to benefit the taxpayers in Washington.

Robinson's bill is the latest move in the union-led effort to compel the state to reconsider generous tax incentives if aerospace companies don't create and retain good paying jobs.

Unions representing Machinists and engineers among others say the state was too generous when it extended tax breaks to the aerospace giant in 2013 to secure the 777X program in Everett. Those tax breaks could save the aerospace giant as much as $8.7 billion in taxes through 2040, yet it has shipped some jobs out of state.