05:12 AM EDT, 03/25/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Boeing's ( BA ) biggest union is asking for a seat on the airplane maker's board as the two parties head into contract negotiations, the Financial Times reported Monday, citing the head of the organization, Jon Holden.

The labor leader said the Washington state Boeing ( BA ) employees he represents must "save the company from itself" after a series of accidents and concerns about quality, the FT reported.

Holden also said that adding a union representative to the company's board would bring specialized knowledge that only workers producing plans day-to-day would understand. "[W]e are oftentimes the last line of defense," the FT quoted him as saying.

The International Association of Machinists District 751 represents 32,000 workers at factories in Washington state, the news outlet said.

Boeing ( BA ) did not immediately reply to MT Newswires' request for comment.

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