SEATTLE (AP) — Boeing Co. CEO Jim McNerney apologized Friday for saying the aerospace giant’s employees were “cowering” during his tenure, a comment one union official called “a new low” in the company’s relationship with workers.

McNerney made the remark during a Wednesday call with analysts when he was asked if he is thinking about retiring after he turns 65 next month. McNerney said he won’t retire because “the heart will still be beating, the employees will still be cowering,” The Seattle Times reported (http://bit.ly/1ze9JDm ).