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The Chief Executive of the Commercial Airplanes division of the Boeing Corporation, Ray Conner, and the International President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union, Tom Buffenbarger, are nearing the end to negotiations that would extend the machinists contract into the 2020?s and potentially settle that Washington state will be the producer of key parts and final assembly for Boeing?s new 777X. Secret talks between Boeing and its largest union are not uncommon, and the details of wages, benefits, and work rules changes for the new contract have not surfaced. The local IAM represents about 29,000 employees whose contract is set to expire in 2016, but are negotiating with the hopes that future work can be guaranteed at the division?s unionized sites in the Pacific Northwest. Officially, the 777X is expected to be announced at the Dubai Air Show in mid-November, but the IAM spokesperson does not believe that the announcement puts any sort of deadline on the talks.