Losing the second assembly line for Boeing Co.’s new 787 jetliner to another state wouldn’t be the end of aerospace in Washington, Governor Chris Gregoire said Tuesday.

In her second straight day of high-profile public statements on Boeing’s plans for a new facility, the Democratic governor made it clear that the company’s tattered relationship with its Machinists union is the most important factor left unresolved.

Boeing is expected to choose a location for the new 787 facility by year’s end. Washington is competing with South Carolina for the new project.

The union and management have been in talks. Gregoire said she and other officials are working hard to foster a good relationship, but she declined to elaborate, citing sensitivity of the negotiations.

South Carolina, meanwhile, offers a relatively headache-free labor landscape: The state’s labor policies give unions less power than they enjoy in Washington, and workers at Boeing’s facility there recently voted to oust the Machinists.

In a statement Monday, district Pres. Tom Wroblewski agreed with Gregoire’s assessment that the state’s business landscape was ideal. But regarding any contract changes, Wroblewski said only that the union was in regular meetings with Boeing leadership.

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