Kudos for a good editorial, "Boeing scramble reveals problem'' (June 16)! It's nice to see the state beginning to work toward recovering Washington's once vibrant business climate, despite the militant opposition of labor leaders.

Legislators already know what the next step is. No more studies are necessary. Boeing CEO Alan Mulally testified in Olympia in January 2002 and identified six areas the state needs to address: transportation, taxes, energy, education, unemployment insurance and regulations.

While some good progress on unemployment insurance has been made, legislators need to go further and crack down on fraud and abuse in the system. As for the other areas Mulally listed, lawmakers must strive to institute real reforms that benefit the state as a whole, not just a select few businesses able to hire full-time lobbyist.

To continue making progress, lawmakers must continue to stand up to the unreasonable demands of labor officials. Leaders of the state labor council even bucked their own membership in opposing unemployment insurance reforms this session. Boeing's Machinist Union worked with Boeing, understanding that without healthy business profits, you can't negotiate higher wages and benefits.