McDonnell Douglas Union to Select Leader May 22

A May 22 runoff will decide who will lead the largest union at McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Co. at a time when Long Beach’s largest employer faces impending layoffs, peacetime cutbacks and debate over a controversial Japanese-style management.

Doug Griffith, president of United Auto Workers Local 148, will face Richard Rios for the union presidency. With several challenged ballots still unresolved, preliminary results show that Griffith received 39% of the vote and Rios 32% in the recent election. More than 12,000 members chose among 205 candidates vying for 49 posts, including six candidates for president.

One of the hottest issues of the campaign was the union-company liaison struck by Griffith and opposed by some workers as union-busting. Griffith endorses the company’s Japanese-style management, which, among other things, encourages employees to monitor each other’s work habits.