International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) held a preliminary strike vote July 17 among workers at Boeing factories in the Puget Sound and Gresham, Oregon. The union contract with Boeing expires Sept. 12, at which point an estimated 34,000 workers could strike if a majority rejects a final company offer and two-thirds vote again to strike once they’ve seen the offer.
The early strike vote was meant to streamline approval of international union strike benefits and show the company that workers are ready to walk out if they have to. Support was overwhelming — 99.9% of those voting, IAM reported. The vote itself was a kind of strike test run because workers walked off the job to attend the vote, though the union had negotiated company approval of several hours of unpaid leave. Boeing workers at Renton, Seattle, and Everett filled the Mariners baseball stadium, while Gresham parts workers met at Portland Expo Center.
Boeing and the union are in their first full contract negotiations in 16 years. The current contract came after at 58-day strike in 2008, but was extended in 2011 and 2013, when the union gave concessions in the face of company threats to locate production of new planes elsewhere. This year, in bargaining, the union is calling for:
- raises totaling over 40%;
- reining in mandatory overtime;
- restoration of the defined-benefit pension plan the company took away in 2014;
- seats for representatives from IAM and SPEEA (the engineers’ union) on Boeing’s board; and
- a commitment that the next plane will be built in the Puget Sound region.
IAM represents more than 30,000 Boeing workers in the Seattle area as well as about 1,200 at a parts plant in Gresham.
Leading up to the July 17 Seattle strike vote rally was a procession of over 800 motorcycle riding machinists. Inside the stadium, an estimated 25,000 people — members of Machinists District Lodge 751 and their family members — blew whistles and whipped around rally towels printed with the words, “our future, our fight.”
The union put Boeing on notice that this negotiation was going to be different, Machinists International President Bryan Bryant (no relation to District W24 Directing Business Representative Brandon Bryant) told rally goers.
“You’ve been waiting too damn long for the industry-leading contract that you all deserve,” Byrant said. “Our members will accept nothing less than their fair share, and we are going to make it very clear and simple to Boeing what a fair share looks like. We will be the highest compensated aerospace workers in the entire world, and we won’t accept anything less.”
Workers at Boeing’s Gresham parts plant held a rally and strike vote at the same time at Portland Expo Center.
“I’m tired of the way Boeing’s been treating us and disrespecting us and stealing our rights little by little,” Machinists Local Lodge 63 president Eric Bitney told attendees at the Portland rally. “This is our company. This is our future. This is our fight. And when you’re out there raising hell, waving your towels, blowing your whistles, wearing your red shirt, you let them know we are going to stand up and we’re not going to put up with this bullshit any more.”
The rallies come after escalating shop floor actions. Workers on break have been marching around in groups on the shop floor holding signs and making noise with whistles.
The two sides have been negotiating since March, but had not yet gotten to the most difficult issues — economics — as of press time. Bargaining is expected to heat up in the coming weeks as the Sept. 12 contract expiration nears.
The key to Boeing recovery is with the employees. It is time to look to the union to show the people at the top how to build a quality aircraft. The bean counters have placed Boeing in this position by cutting inspections and pushing quality out for profit. The bums need to be gone right now. They have failed and should not be rewarded for their failure at the Boeing company.
Paul L Wilkins.
Retired Machinist