Boeing Machinists Strike Continues Cautiously In Company's Success

New Yotk Times:

The machinists' union walkout against the Boeing Company does not appear to fit the usual script for a modern-day labor showdown.

In struggling industries like automobiles and airlines, the bargaining power of unions has been limited by the weak positions of the employers they are negotiating with -- if labor officials push too hard, they risk damaging further the same companies they rely on for jobs.

By contrast, Boeing is strong. It earned a record $4.1 billion in 2007, and its books are full for years to come with orders for hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of planes from customers around the world.

Read the whole story: New Yotk Times

Comments

[RightWingMarine]

Why do the workers feel they are entitled to anything simply because the company was profitable? The stockholders are entitled to those profits because they invested their money in the company with no surety of return. The workers agreed to labor for the company at a set rate. Why should they get to change the terms now?

[Chavez08]

Absolutely there, Marine Guy!

There is such a sense of entltlement in this country it's sickening. "Give me hand-outs. Subsidize me because I can't balance my books! Use Preferential Tariffs so only I can make money in the "Free' market"" Who do these Fannie and Freddie characters think they are?? And who is this guy "Steel" and why does he get to ignore trade agreements?

Yeah, these middle-class workers have some gaul!! It's pure "Socialism" and it's un-American dammit!! You, sir are indeed a patriot for calling them out!

Carry on, Great American!!

[Paul]

A strong union is an asset to any company.

Suppose Enron had a strong union - if the union looked at the books, they would have blown the whistle while it was still possible to save the company.

Suppose the textile industry had a strong union - there might have been a critical mass of votes to enact tariffs on cheap clothing from child-labor states. The US might have a textile industry to day, but without a union all those workers are now at Wal-Mart charging their medical care to local governments.

As long as American business considers workers an expedable expense, there will looting of assets by the CEOs, failures and government bailouts.

[Chavez08]

Keep in mind you're dealing with a ruling ideology that has made it painfully clear that any meaningful labor movement will be quickly suppressed (violently in Colombia, Equador,...)

The multinational corporations, banks and their billionaire oligarchs who own the media and most of the politicians in Washington will do anything they can to keep it that way.

Those who defend unchecked-Capitalism/Neoliberalism realize they can't win the battle of ideas and change will jeopardize their individual empires and dynasties, that's why those like Bush, McCain, Palin, Guiliani govern only by Fascism.

[RightWingMarine]

If Enron had had a union nothing would have changed. Enron had cooked the books that the union reps would have looked at. S&P is an entity that is paid by corporations to review their books and business practices and give them a credit rating such as AAA for stellar companies. Their whole job is to look at the books and they didn't see the fraud Enron was conducting, why would the union?

When have tariffs ever been a good thing? They lead to retalitory tariffs and higher prices. Why should we make prices higher than they have to be? Do these higher prices help or hurt the consumer?

For the employees who were laid off after the mill closed are they permenatly unemployable to all except walmart? Could some of them have seen this as an opportunity to get an education or learn a skill that put them into a better standard of living than before?

Walmart employees charging their medical care to the local government is a problem of socialism. If you don't like paying for other people to receive healthcare tell your elected representative to stop offering it.

[Chavez08]

Hell yeah!! Go, BOWEEE!!

This damn Socialism is ruining everything! What we need is a "Free Market" with no checks and balances to fix the problems in this country.

YOU, sir, are a forward-thinker and MY kind of American!

[Paul]

If Enron had a union it would be comprised of people who are working in the company - not outsiders who could be fooled. I think they would have been able to detect the fraud and called management out on it before it became fatal to the company.

Tariffs protect industries that employ people in this country. Would it make sense to import all our steel and all our manufactured goods just because it would be cheaper?

At least Walmart is up front about what they are doing - the government should provide healthcare and Walmart is simply refusing to pay their part in the current employer-provided healthcare scam. Then again, maybe Priceline should be the way to administer healthcare.

[Chavez08]

ME TOO-YAAYYYYY!!!!
BROTHERS FROM OTHER MOTHERS-YAAYYYYY!!!!

[tippy6]

I think the machinists should just take the sweet deal that Boeing offered. The strike has no merit.

[Mike169]

If you were my labor rep I'd nail you on a dfr charge.

[tippy6]

Why, because its a common sense answer? Logic doesn't apply in the bizzaro-union world!

[heal57]

The strike has plenty of merit. This is one of the last big unions left in America with any power. Keep unions strong!

[Chavez08]

CONSOLIDATE THE WEALTH-YAAYYYYY!!!!
TENTS AND MANSIONS-YAAYYYYY!!!!

[tippy6]

I REALLY LIKE TO SAY "YAAYYYY"!!!!!!!!!!

[Chavez08]

ME TOO-YAAYYYYY!!!!
BROTHERS FROM OTHER MOTHERS-YAAYYYYY!!!!