Boeing production workers voted 59 percent to accept the company's offer of a 38 percent pay increase over the next four years plus an immediate $12,000 signing bonus. Acceptance ends a six-week strike that was straining Boeing's balance sheet and delaying aircraft deliveries. "This is a victory. We can hold our heads high," said Jon Holden, head of the International Association of Machinists, representing 33,000 workers at plants scattered around the Seattle area.
This is a pyrrhic victory at best. This will only accelerate justification for offshoring and automation. Wouldn’t be a bit surprised if the IAM workforce in Puget Sound is half the size by the time this contract ends.
Responsible decision making by both sides. Time to begin rebuilding relationships and trust. It would be nice to see a significant portion of production remain in the Puget Sound basin as that’s where the roots are. There might be hope for a 757Neo/767+ development to finally expand horizons past the '37 series. Regardless, it’s good to see a return to a co-operative work environment and the future potential of profit and upgraded aircraft for a slowly expanding market.
Don’t see how this marks anything but temporary blackmail. The IAM still refuses to take responsibility for the door plug issue which lies solely in their lap. I see virtually no cooperation, only polarization. This former SPEEA engineer sees the writing on the wall.
When was the last time that the Seattle area unions and Boeing management had a decent relationship? They have been at odds with each other as far back as I can remember. I don’t see anything in this most recent contract “approval” that will mend any of the long-standing issues. An acceptance rate of only 59% of the workforce is hardly an enthusiastic approval.