Re: "Regulators could also impose requirements, such as mandating professional engineer certification for key tasks, which would force Boeing to think twice before letting employees go."
Engineering is a regulated profession (like medicine) so PEs are answerable to state licensing boards as well as employers. https://www.nspe.org/resources/ethics/code-ethics "If engineers' judgment is overruled under circumstances that endanger life or property, they shall notify their employer or client and such other authority as may be appropriate." This means that, even if other employees are free to look the other way if somebody is cutting corners on quality to the extent of creating a risk to safety (this does not mean they should do so), a PE is not.
Re: "Regulators could also impose requirements, such as mandating professional engineer certification for key tasks, which would force Boeing to think twice before letting employees go."
Engineering is a regulated profession (like medicine) so PEs are answerable to state licensing boards as well as employers. https://www.nspe.org/resources/ethics/code-ethics "If engineers' judgment is overruled under circumstances that endanger life or property, they shall notify their employer or client and such other authority as may be appropriate." This means that, even if other employees are free to look the other way if somebody is cutting corners on quality to the extent of creating a risk to safety (this does not mean they should do so), a PE is not.