The article:
Boeing’s roughly 33,000 factory workers on the West Coast of the United States have voted overwhelmingly to strike in the latest blow for the beleaguered aircraft giant.
Machinists at the company’s factories in Seattle and Portland, Oregon on Thursday voted to walk off the job from midnight after rejecting management’s latest offer for better pay and conditions.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) said that 94.6 percent of its members voted to reject the contract and 96 percent backed a strike.
Boeing’s offer would have raised pay by 25 percent over four years, reduced workers’ share of healthcare costs and increased the company’s retirement contributions.
The aircraft maker’s offer also included a commitment to build its next aircraft at its facilities in greater Seattle after the company angered union members by moving production of the 787 Dreamliner to a non-unionised plant in South Carolina.
Workers had demanded a 40 percent wage rise, the restoration of a pension scheme that was axed a decade ago, and a stronger guarantee that future production would not be moved out of the Seattle region.
Jon Holden, IAM’s lead negotiator in the contract talks, said workers had spoken “loud and clear”.
“This is about respect, this is about addressing the past, and this is about fighting for our future,” Holden said.
“We strike at midnight.”
The strike, the first by Boeing workers since 2008, puts a halt to production of the best-selling 737 MAX and other aircraft as the company grapples with output delays, heavy financial losses and intense scrutiny of its safety record.
It also comes just weeks after new Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg took the helm of the company with a pledge to “reset” the company’s relations with the union.
Ortberg had on Wednesday urged workers to vote against a strike, warning it would “put our shared recovery in jeopardy, further eroding trust with our customers and hurting our ability to determine our future together”.
Boeing did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
Adam Smith, a Democratic Party member of the House of Representatives representing Washington State, urged the two sides to return to the negotiating table.
“Across corporate America, so much of the wealth has wound up in the hands of so few people,” Smith said in a statement.
“Large corporations have increasingly prioritised their own profits and shareholders at the expense of workers. It is crucial that Boeing behaves as a responsible steward for its employees, so that every employee at their company is respected with fair wages and working conditions.”
I had heard Boeing had offered a 25% pay bump. Hadn’t heard it was over 4 years. 6.25% per year wouldn’t keep up with (real) inflation if it keeps going like it has for the past several.
I’m a little sad the union didn’t have a quip about Boeing assassinating former employees.
It’s actually 5.75% annually.
6.25% would compund to 27.4% over 4 years.
There were also a bunch of things they were apparently losing under the deal; seems like articles keep not mentioning that.
Lol wtf is Boeing thinking? They’re in the middle of the biggest PR nightmare in the history of the company, and then they let negotiations fail with the union. YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO PAUSE ANY PRODUCTION RIGHT NOW!
There was only one logical option; give the union whatever they asked for, stay out of the news, and keep the whole thing quiet, which would have probably turned into a big PR win too. Completely idiotic corporate policy on every level.
Or what, they’ll go out of business? They’re essential for defense and the economy, too big to fail.
They’re betting on getting bailed out and outlasting the strike. For that, it’s perfect timing to deny the union a deal.
Would this endanger national security? I was going to say so, but I’m not sure about the details.
96% backed a strike
That’s actually impressive. Boeing must really have been trying to rip them off lol.
From what I understand, the pension is one of the biggest concerns the union has. The method to vote its removal is scummy to say the least. Vote took place on Christmas break, where Boeing gives employees two weeks off with skeleton crew keeping the lights on, knowing no one would be there to vote against its repeal. They’ve been offered a 401k in return but want their pension back. That info comes from a 15 year employee part of the union but take it with a grain of salt.
Obviously there’s a ton of other issues ICs want to be addressed that don’t revolve around share prices. This is just one I keep hearing and the feelings of betrayal and resentment are palpable when I hear someone talk about it. They also complain about the union leader who uses his friend lawyer to negotiate against a team of corporate lawyers but that’s heresay.
Solidarity. ✊
They are saving lives by not building those flying death traps.
#Union Strong!
33,000 people recognized that they were being shit on an said enough.
This will start conversations in many unions I imagine
The CEO and his management team created this, they did not take care of the workforce, and they cultivated the most recent reputational damage.
I thought they got a new CEO who was tasked with fixing the befuckedness the old CEO enshitted.
Nothing will change. In late stage capitalism the only way to make the imaginary line go up is either to reduce quality or reduce pay. Maybe a too big to fail company that makes our aircrafts shouldn’t be profit motivated? The current state of Boeing is the inevitable outcome for all profit-based companies. No big deal when it’s Quiznos, but when is literally the only fish in its industry and vital to national security?
That’s what the article says.
Boing needs to be nationalized.
Our Boing
Having worked for the government before, I think that’s a bad idea. A strong union and equitable compensation for labor are the best path forward.
Ya because obviously the free market is doing so well for Boeing. We’ve (the tax payers) bailed out this company multiple times to the toon of billions and their planes are dropping out of the sky. Nah fam, if they are too big to fail but they can continue to fail when is enough?
Throwing enough money at a company to bail out out because they couldn’t manage themselves, getting nothing in return, and begging them to pwiddy pweeease not do it again rather than taking control of that strategic asset, and deleting its management is some impressive cuckoldry.
We need to nationalize the rail companies and oil companies as well.
And the banks. Incrementally easing into the housing market, and shifting company ownership to the workers sounds like a good idea - can’t have all the profits from workers’ labour being handed to lazy welfare queen shareholders.
How about a strong union on top of nationalization?
A funded, exceptional government is needed. We should be treating these jobs as more than after-thoughts.
republiQans have been destroying it out loud, in earnest for fifty years
Kinda insane. Thought that Boeing was one of those companies too big to fall. Maybe it still is, since it has it’s hands in so many fields (military, government, space, etc), but it’s looking more and more plausible.
It’s always “To big to fail”, until it fails.
Soon, I assume, as parts run out, we’ll have parts being made by small shops in Ohio. Then we’ll see all sorts of cool things fall off into backyards!. Need a fancy turbo? No problem! It’s a gift from the sky’s! New aluminum roof? Coming right up!..er down actually.
Shit, I’ll be flying for Thanksgiving 🍽️🦃…I’ll see you if I see you! In your backyard!
If we gave Boeing MORE Taxpayer Money they would be ABLE to Give Their Workers More Money! It’s OUR Fault for using Taxdollars to Feed BROWN KIDS instead of BOEINGS CEOS kids!
Well, they wont be misassembling anymore planes or spacecraft at least
Wait. Isn’t 95% agreement statistically unlikely in basically any election?
Not when your company is fucking murdering whistleblowers, no.
Not when the voterbase has common interests.
This isn’t uncommon for labor votes, actually. Generally once a strike authorization vote comes up it’s already far past the point of supermajority. Unions don’t mess around.
You can say that if the voterbase is huge with multiple interest groups often at loggerheads to each other. But amongst people with predominantly similar interests such as in labour votes its is not that uncommon.
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