Boeing Machinists Strike For Second Time In Three Years

EVERETT, Wash. — Striking Boeing Co. production workers hunkered down Saturday for what could be along, bruising battle with costly repercussions for both sides.

Greeted by friendly honking from passing vehicles, members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers responded with cheering and blasts from handheld air horns Saturday at plants from Frederickson to Everett as cloudy skies gave way to warm and sunny weather.

How long are workers used to receiving some of the top blue-collar wages in the Puget Sound area prepared to go without pay?

"As long as it takes," said Scott Robertson, who works in final assembly of 737s in Renton, adding that he has money saved up to last three months.

"It's been about lack of respect," said Steve Morrison, 42, a tester in Everett plant. "They always tell us we're valued much but labor is the first out the door, the first to be outsourced."

Linda Herrmann, a sealer in Renton, told The News Tribune of Tacoma she initially resisted the idea of striking but changed her mind after hearing from both sides.

Besides, she added, "we have to stick together. You have to. You have to."

As of midday Saturday no talks had been scheduled, said Connie Kelliher, a spokeswoman for the union's District Lodge 751.

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The Machinists, representing about 25,000 workers in the Puget Sound area, 1,500 in the Portland, Ore. area and about 750 in Wichita, Kan., began picketing at 12:01 a.m. with the expiration of a 48-hour contract extension that had been requested by Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire and a federal mediator.

Negotiations with the aid of a federal mediator during the unusual post-strike vote extension failed to resolve the dispute over pay, outsourcing, retirement benefits, health care provisions and other issues.

Union members who assemble Boeing's commercial planes and some key components voted 80 percent Wednesday to reject Boeing's final three-year contract offer and 87 percent to go on strike.

Union leaders said Boeing did not present a comprehensive new offer during the last-ditch talks. Scott Carson, president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said the two sides were too far apart to reach agreement in time to prevent a walkout.

It's the first time the union has struck in consecutive contract cycles at Boeing and the shortest period _ three years _ between walkouts. The union was on strike for 24 days in 2005.

The company said it would not try to assemble planes during the strike.

Boeing's commercial airplane operations, based in the Seattle area, have led a resurgence by the company over the past two years amid heavy orders for the much-awaited and increasingly delayed 787.

Analysts have said a strike could cost Boeing about $100 million a day in deferred revenue. During the last strike, Boeing was unable to deliver more than two dozen airplanes on schedule.

As of July Boeing reported a backlog of airplane orders totaling $346 billion.

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On the Net:

http://www.boeing.com/2008negotiations/

http://www.iam751.org/contract08.htm

Comments

[tippy6]

Another sad, frustrating example of how unions create a culture of anger, violence, unearned entitlement and minimized productivity among its member workers. The machinists were offered increases in pay and benefits packages that average $34,000 a year per person. Yet they refuse and have the nerve to get angry about that? Most Americans would be astonished and thrilled with such an offer by their employer. But in the Bizzaro-Union world, nothing is good enough, no one is ever satisfied until every red cent is bled out of the company and given undeservedly to the workers. Any suggestion of compromise or flexibility is met with yelling, arguments and angry threats. Just look at the guy in the picture! Is that how you want to go through life in your career, being so irate and bitter? Boeing is offering a nice deal and great pay; quit being such crybabies and get back to work. America needs people to work, not moan and whine about nothing.

[Mike169]

Seriously! Have you ever read a book on labor history? Do you know anything at all about labor unions except what little you read in the newspapers? Do care at all that those things unions fight for are not at all on the Republican agenda and rarely on the Democratic agenda? Do you know what OSHA is? Do you know what the Civil Rights Act is? Do you understand the concept of collective bargaining at all? Do you know what a grievance procedure is? Have you any idea of unions actually do? Well it sure doesn't sound like it. You sound like a Wal-Mart manager whose only knowledge of real unions comes from the most repressive employer in the country - read something for a change and please stop with the "bizzarro union world" - the only thing that's bizzarro here is your post!

[tippy6]

I happen to know plenty about what unions really are. I've worked many years in industry, and I have personally witnessed the kind of culture they have created: one of mistrust, lack of dedication to one's work and one's employer, entitlement, greed and violence.

It reduces employee effort to the lowest common denominator. It creates bureaucratic obstacles that interfere with the efficient operation of a company, particularly in manufacturing. It undermines any trust between the hourly workforce and management that is crucial to running a successful business.

Unions in the past have accomplished many things we are grateful for: 5-day workweek, paid holidays, safety rules, worker's compensation, health insurance, and so on. But the labor agenda in recent years has now crossed over into the absurd, with such ridiculously inflated wages and mind-numbing work rules and restrictions. Unions have essentially made themselves obsolete and unproductive.

Your assertion that I am associated with Wal-Mart is cheap and I think you're smarter than that.

[hoopesaz]

Huh. Trying to remember the details. So, the unions are stricking because the proposed 11% pay raise and about 18% bonus is simply unreasonable. Horrible, hateful treatment that no self-respecting worker should accept.

See, most people who work hard for a living consider such behavior atrocious. A slap in the face to the true dedicated american worker. Perhaps now you can understand his post.

[DuganS1]

We're all thankful for what the unions accomplished in the first half of the 19th century. But what they're doing is creating an environment which makes companies not want to invest here. Union members are still overpaid in many unskilled and semi-skilled jobs and the union rules have historically been limiting to productivity. The more unions push right now, the less manufacturing jobs will be created or kept in the United States. Conversely, the more the unions are beaten back and the wages are brought down to market levels, the more manufacturing jobs there will be in this country.

[UnbiasView]

2 times in 3 years? They sound like a bunch of whiners.

[Mike169]

You sound just like Phil Gramm. You are talking about working people being whiners - that's always a hit here on HuffPo. Once again another Republican who doesn't understand, refuses to understand and who couldn't understand if the table was laid out with all the necessary fact to understand. There are lots of rightwing websites where people like yourself, lacking in the basic knowledge to grasp the simplest of concepts, run and post and play all day to their hearts' content. Why don't you try them out and stop bothering people here with your nonsensical blather?

[only1Demvoter]

Honor Labor !

Protect The Working Class !!

( Don't worry tools, tro//s, and Rethug ' Union Buster ' apologists... It's ONLY airplanes falling out of the sky, you're trying to further de - regulate ! )


More to follow. -ralph

[UnbiasView]

What airplanes are falling out of the sky?

[Mike169]

The one that hit you in the head and made you so stupid.

[jwws007]

Boeing should be allowed to outsource all of their work to china, and the union should let them. the executives need to make more money

[UnbiasView]

If they keep striking I would outsource the work to somewhere where people will work.

[indypete]

For $5 a day and all the sh*t they can eat, I presume.

[GatoPreto]

I support the machinists and wish them well. It's not an easy trade, and there is a lot of demand for it so it's normal they should be expecting a bigger share of the pie. Besides, with the looming depression and all, it's the pencil-pushers that ought to be worried about their jobs. A right-wing, pro-war government is always good for the Aerospace industry. Go get 'em guys!

[UnbiasView]

"it's the pencil-pushers that ought to be worried about their jobs"

Without the "pencil-pushers" there is no Boeing and vice versa . . .

You sound like a bitter machinist . . . am I close?

[MagisterLudi]

Thread on "Confessions Of An RNC Security Guard"-- 50 comments.
This thread on American workers struggle --28... the priorities of Obamaba faithfull are very clear.
Here's a easy way to pim-p the thread. Call it the "Struggle of black machinists against white management"..... Ofra and Opra be here in a N.Y. minute.

[UnbiasView]

This thread is about people chosing not to work . . .

[indypete]

.....Or about corporations not wanting to pay a fair wage?

[Mike169]

No it's a thread about a concept that you seem to know nothing about.

[iamvalid]

We'll always have Paris, oops. I meant there is always Airbus.

[rwe]

Boeing is based in Chicago.. there must be some organizer around who could negotiate this

[DuganS1]

The issue is mostly over benefits and the ability to outsource work to non-union contractors. Overall I feel bad for the union as they are putting themselves in a very bad position that will likely result in more jobs being out-sourced and more union workers losing their jobs. If we want the manufacturing base in the country to be revived, it needs to start with the complete defeat of the unions. Right now unions are a major reason many companies won't invest in the United States. And this strike is really going to further hurt economic growth in the United States as many other companies besides Boeing will be directly and indirectly affected by this.

[UnbiasView]

The idea of unions is fundamentally a good idea but the reality is they are not.

[ramper]

Now just which ones are you talking about? Baseball? Teachers? Construction workers? Coal miners? Pilots? Truckers? etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.
Surely they all cannot be bad. Unions are as different as corporations. Some do it right and are beneficial to society and some are not. You can't put a stereotypical blanket over all of them.

[LASteve]

Sex worker Unions in Australia are great!

Paid time when workers are not on their back, extra pay for "doggy" style.

[indypete]

The same can be said of corporations, politicians and policemen.

[Mike169]

Wrong again there buddy. You don't have a clue as to what unions do or don't do. Try reading a book you might find something in there that would enlighten you.

[MagisterLudi]

Another genius right-wing economics expert. Destroy the unions to benefit the workers. Where have heard this before? I do hope your income, benefits and job security remain non-union for the remainder of your career, Dugan.

[farseer]

Wal-mart shows us why unions are needed. But this Boeing situation shows us why unions can be harmful.

When you buy something, you have the right to shop around and choose which manufacturer's product you will buy, taking into consideration what the products are like, what the prices are like, and what you're looking for. You're not forced to buy from one firm only, unless there is a monopoly, but the free market normally prevents that. By the same token, manufacturers also should have the right to shop around and choose the "product" (the labor) they like best, taking into consideration the wages, and what they want done. They should not have to "buy" only from one "firm" (i.e. hire only one group of workers) -- but if there is a monopoly, they have to. The arrangement the union wants would give them a monopoly, since Boeing would not be able to take their work anywhere else. Thus the workers could blackmail the co. into paying them whatever it wants. This strike will in the long run work against the union's interest although they might win in the short run. It will make Boeing planes more expensive, and give an advantage to Airbus or other competitors. It will encourage Boeing to move abroad.

[indypete]

Airbus is not staffed with union workers?

[indypete]

Parrot.

[heal57]

Thank God Boeing has a Union. There's so few good unions left in the U.S. I hope the workers get what they want, as it will be better for all Americans in the long run.

[Skycop1]

Sure, lest make the Boeing airplanes so expensive that Airbus out sells Boeing easily. While were at it, lets give the new Chinese aircraft manufacturer a boost by raising our plane prices and have the airlines flock to this new entrant. World wide competition demands Boeing be lean and mean. The union is going to kill the golden goose.

[ramper]

When things are going bad the company asks for givebacks and sacrifice. When things are going great the company refuses to share in the success saying things could always get bad later. Typical big business slight of hand.

[Lion24]

Don't they know R o n a l d R e a g a n and the red state neocons outlawed unions years ago?

[MagisterLudi]

And were are all those O-bam0ma supporters that are supposedly for the "common man. Yeah right, 5 comments?! Less than on Van Halen thread. The priorities are obvious....

[Lion24]

Did you mean, "where"?

[MagisterLudi]

I wonder what the upper management perks look like hmmmmm....
Boeing game plan is to outsource majority of the work to foreign countries and get rid of most union jobs. Reason; greed. Can you imagine what the Execs. will reap in stock benefits if the unions are broken ?! Support the workers, you petty bourgeois limo libs!!!!

[larry278]

The orders for Boeing planes can't go to Airbus since Airbus is also behind on delivering its planes like the 380 & smaller planes. This could be a long, bitter strike.

[svwells]

In the long run the orders would go to Airbus if their labor relations were seen as more stable. In the short term if this strike lasts long enough Boeing will be forced to make payments/allow customers to cancel orders if they get too far behind (airbus had this problem too recently but because of technical issues with the 380).