Boeing workers evacuated at Auburn plant return to work

A suspicious device found inside a building at Boeing's Auburn parts plant late Friday afternoon is not dangerous, said Boeing spokesman Jim Proulx.

About 90 workers were evacuated from the building, and a bomb squad was called in to investigate. The workers returned to the building around 9 p.m.

A Machinists union official in Auburn told IAM spokeswoman Connie Kelliher that a suspicious package wrapped in duct tape was found in a restroom in the 62 building, which is across the road from the main Auburn facility.

Proulx said he could not say what the package was, except that it was not an explosive and not dangerous.

The bomb threat came just a couple of hours after the International Association of Machinists (IAM) union declared a strike beginning at midnight tonight and after two days of pent-up anger in all the factories after a strike was delayed 48 hours by union leaders following the contract vote Wednesday.

Proulx said he had no information about who was responsible, and Kelliher said there's no evidence that the threat has anything to do with the impending strike.

"Our members have been marching to show their reaction to the company," said Kelliher. "There's no indication this has anything to do with our membership."

Dominic Gates: 206-464-2963 or dgates@seattletimes.com. Seattle Times staff reporter Noelene Clark contributed to this report.