Posted on 02/21/2018 4:30:38 PM PST by Enchante
Starting in late 2017, Boeing executives discussed plans to conceal employee bonuses or cancel them altogether in order to keep President Trump from getting credit, following the passage of the Republican tax-reform bill. On a series of conference calls led by Boeing’s Senior Vice President of Communications Phil Musser, Musser proposed and lobbied for canceling bonuses out of fear that the company may contribute to President Trump’s rising approval rating.
Before Musser worked as a high level Boeing’s communications staffer in Washington, his employment history included public and media relations work for Mitt Romney’s 2012 Presidential Campaign and The Freedom First PAC, a right leaning political action committee.
Since the passage and signing of Republican tax reform in December, hundreds of major companies have given their employees bonuses and raises with the some of the newly minted tax savings resulting from the new law. Boeing has enjoyed a relationship with the Trump Administration that’s been mostly cozy. The Administrations foreign policy changes have opened the door to billions of dollars of new purchases of Boeing products by America’s overseas partners, including Israel and Saudi Arabia.
According to Boeing employees familiar with the conversations inside Boeing that surrounded the decision to issue bonuses, Musser was not the only executive averse to publicizing the issuing of the bonuses. When it finally became clear to Musser and others that the bonuses would indeed be issued to employees, in mid to late January, Musser made a final push, calling for Boeing to “hold off” on handing out the Bonuses. Musser believed that delaying the issuing of bonuses to Boeing employees would ensure that the move was not seen as connected to Trump’s tax cuts.
In late January, Musser submitted a last-ditch proposal to his superiors at the company to draft documents retroactively that would give the appearance that Boeing had the bonus package planned well-before the passage of Trump’s signature tax-cut legislation, according to several employees familiar with the document. Musser shared this plan with several other Boeing executives and received a mixed response.The plan failed to gain support among the majority Boeing executives.
In the final press release announcing more than $600 Million in bonuses, drafted in part by Phil Musser, the bonuses were ultimately not attributed to President Trump’s economic policies or any change in public policy whatsoever. Instead Musser and his colleagues responsible for the drafting of the document pointed out in the short press release that the bonuses could pay for “Nearly 400 million Costco hotdog/soda combos” and “Over 283 million pounds of Washington apples”. Following the announcement of the new bonus package, Boeing’s stock has rallied despite overall market volatility.
After losing a several month long battle to conceal or stop the employee bonuses, Phil Musser ultimately received a bonus himself.
Phil Musser and Boeing did not respond to a request for comment from The Washington Reporter.
It has. I have heard of one major insurance company that gave the $1,000 bonus to everyone, but said nothing about taxes or the president.
Oh here it is.
Before Musser worked as a high level Boeing’s communications staffer in Washington, his employment history included public and media relations work for Mitt Romney’s 2012 Presidential Campaign and The Freedom First PAC
Certainly Musser sounded enthusiastic for the tax cut bill then. He may have been saying what the company CEO dictated he say. It doesn’t mean he did not work behind the scenes to avoid giving Trump credit on the bonuses.
But I agree with others who point out that The Washington Reporter article is sourced only with anonymous (claimed) insiders at Boeing, so we have no way yet of knowing if it is reliable. We will have to wait to see if Boeing reacts and what other info may emerge.
Boeing is a seriously liberal organization.
They flew all executives in from around the world at great cost to listen to a black women go on about how every team must hire a black person and that corporate ethics means ensuring a black person was on every team. They then played this for the annual ethics training.
It is also quite possible that Musser got some serious push-back from his never-Trump pals after his FoxNews appearance in December. It would have riled up all the Romney never-Trump types who learned of Musser’s words, and it could be that he learned that he needed to work to please Romney and allies in the never-Trump camp.
looks like SLC link is possible
Who is Jacob Wohl and what isd the Washington Reporter?
Stop all government contracts with Boeing!
This does not appear to be a legitimate news source.
They don’t need our contracts anyway. Aren’t they the ones who are supplying Iran with planes?
Fake Americans
Fake Americans
As I noted earlier, liberals at companies some of my friends work at just completely lost their minds over getting the bonuses. Flame wars. Yelling and screaming.
It may be more reliable than most of the MSM.
This guy is definitely a candidate for Fort Marcy Park...
The Boeing execs who oversaw the development and production of the beloved B-17 must be rolling in their graves.
Musser and Romney remind me of another “hate-Trump-with-all-my-heart-no-matter-what” RINO, by the name of McCain. McCain was not going to allow Trump a major victory with the repeal of Obamacare, even with all the faults and issues inherent in Obamacare.
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