Comment on Striking Boeing Factory Workers Ready to Hold Out for Better Contract

Striking Boeing Factory Workers Ready to Hold Out for Better Contract

(SEATTLE) — Blue-collar workers from Boeing walked picket lines in the Pacific Northwest instead of building airplanes on Friday after they overwhelmingly rejected a proposed contract that would have raised their wages by 25% over four years. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The strike by 33,000 machinists will not disrupt airline flights anytime soon, but it is expected to shut down production of Boeing’s best-selling jetliners, marking yet another setback for a company already dealing with billions of dollars in financial losses and a damaged reputation. The company said it was taking steps to conserve cash while its CEO looks for ways to come up with a contract that the unionized factory workers will accept. Late Friday, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service said it would convene new talks early next week. “FMCS has been in contact with both IAM and Boeing to support their return to the negotiation table and commends the parties on their willingness to meet and work towards a mutually acceptable resolution,” the agency said in a statement. Boeing stock fell 3.7% Friday, bringing its decline for the year to nearly 40%. The strike started soon after a regional branch of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers reported that in a Thursday vote, 94.6% of participating members rejected a contract offer that the union’s own bargaining committee had endorsed, and 96% voted to strike. Shortly after midnight, striking workers stood outside the Boeing factory in Renton, Washington, with signs reading, “Have you seen the damn housing prices?” Car horns honked and a boom box played songs including Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do.” Many of the workers who spoke to reporters said they considered the wage offer inadequate given how much the cost of living has increase in the Pacific Northwest.

 

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