Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton opened up an investigation into a Boeing supplier’s DEI policies as the number of failures of Boeing aircraft has question the safety of air travel. Paxton has announced that he will be investigating investigating Spirit Aero Systems Holdings, the company that builds most of the parts for the Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft. The planes have come under scrutiny after a door plug on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX flew off mid-flight in January.
Paxton wants to know if the company’s DEI policies played a part in the near disaster.
Paxton said:
“The potential risks associated with certain airplane models are deeply concerning and potentially life-threatening to Texans. I will hold any company responsible if they fail to maintain the standards required by the law and will do everything in my power to ensure manufacturers take passenger safety seriously.”
Paxton’s office said Texas was investigating Spirit because:
“apparent manufacturing defects have led to numerous concerning or dangerous incidents, some of which occurred in-air.”
VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELAs part of the investigation, Paxton has requested that Spirit turn over documents pertaining to its DEI policies. DEI policies can, but not necessarily play a part on shoddy performance. When you hire by race and not by ability that can happen. It is well worth looking into to see if unqualified people are in positions of great power. Their decisions could have consequences. And if not, it would be good to clear up any misjudgments that may have arisen.
In a letter to the supplier, Paxton asks for copies of the minutes to Spirit’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Council meetings as well as employee demographics prior to the enactment of its DEI policies.
On its website, Spirit highlights its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. “Cultivating a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion directly aligns with our values and is a key enabler to achieving our overall business strategy to enhance performance,” Spirit says.
Paxton also asked for records of manufacturing defects in relevant products. All the documents must be produced by April 17.
The investigation comes just days after Boeing announced that top leadership, including CEO David Calhoun, would be leaving the company. Leadership leaving the company include board chair Larry Kellner resigning from his position in May and Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stan Deal retiring immediately. Boeing Chief Operation Officer Stephanie Pope will take over from Deal, while Steve Mollenkopf will become the company’s new board chair.
The office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said it began looking into Spirit AeroSystems because of “apparent manufacturing defects” in parts that “have led to numerous concerning or dangerous incidents.”
In a statement Friday, a Spirit spokesman said, “While we do not comment on investigations, Spirit is wholly focused on providing the highest quality products to all our customers, including the Boeing Company.”
Paxton asked the Wichita, Kansas-based supplier to turn over documents produced since the start of 2022 about communication with investors and Boeing about flaws in parts and corrective steps the company took.
The request goes into detail in seeking internal discussions around Spirit’s efforts to create a diverse workforce “and whether those commitments are unlawful or are compromising the company’s manufacturing processes.” Paxton asked for a breakdown of Spirit’s workforce by race, sexual orientation and other factors, and whether the makeup has changed over time.
