First item
September 29, 2024
Boeing machinists strike after rejecting rotten agreement
By Pete Brown, Detroit Workers’ Voice
Boeing machinists went on strike September 13 after rejecting an agreement crafted by the leaders of the International Association of Machinists union (IAM). After years of stagnant wages, machinists at Boeing were hungry for a hefty raise to make up for the losses incurred by inflation. And they are determined to bring back their defined-benefit pensions (DBPs}, which were replaced by 401Ks a decade ago. IAM union leaders were well aware of these priorities. Nonetheless, they brought back an agreement that contained only a 25% pay increase over four years, with no restoration of DBPs. It also eliminated the performance bonus that typically amounted to 3-4% of workers’ pay. (1) Union leaders recommended the agreement and told workers there was no chance of getting anything better. Despite this, the workers voted by over 94% to reject the offer and then voted by 96% in favor of a strike. Picket lines went up on September 13 as Boeing’s 32,000 machinists in the Northwest area (Seattle and Portland) walked out. There have been some negotiations since, but so far, the company’s offer has barely nudged.
Boeing machinists took the 25% pay increase as an insult after working eight years without a raise. They are demanding a 40% raise (over four years) in order to recover some of the buying power of their wages. The fact that union leaders recommended a contract with a much lower pay offer shows how out of touch with workers the union bureaucrats are. They also counsel the workers that DBPs are a thing of the past and will not be restored. But the workers are rejecting that defeatist attitude, which is what led to the loss of DBPs a decade ago. At that time, Boeing threatened to move more production work out of the Northwest to Southern non-union plants. The union caved in to this threat and, agreeing to extortion, gave up on DBPs. Today, with all the quality-control issues Boeing is facing and its present poor financial condition (Boeing has lost money every year since 2018 (2)), the machinists are confident Boeing will be forced to deal with their demands.
Boeing’s financial condition is extremely shaky, and if it weren’t a major industrial monopoly, it probably would already be in bankruptcy. (3) But it still has lots of airplane orders waiting to be built and is on the verge of making a comeback. Workers know this, and know it depends on their knowledge and skill to make it happen.
On September 23 the company made a “best and final offer” to the union which included a 30% raise (instead of just 25%) and the restoration of the productivity bonus. But it did not include restoration of DBPs, nor did it address other issues such as job security and forced overtime. IAM leaders did not even bother organizing a vote on this proposal, which they knew the workers would reject. So, the deadline of September 30 passed, and the strike continues. (4) Already some of Boeing’s other production facilities are beginning to lay off workers as a result of the strike, and Boeing is cutting the hours of its office employees. The issue facing machinists now is to maintain a strong strike that can force Boeing into meeting their demands.
Support the striking Boeing machinists!
Notes
- Jenny Brown, “‘Hard No’: Boeing Workers React to Tentative Agreement”, Labor Notes, September 10, 2024, https://www.labornotes.org/2024/09/hard-no-boeing-workers-react-tentative-agreement .
- Allison Morrow and Chris Isidore, “What this Boeing strike is really all about”, CNN, September 14, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/14/business/boeing-workers-strike/index.html.
- Ibid.
- “Boeing wage talks break off without progress to end strike, union says”, Reuters, September 28, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/boeing-wage-talks-break-off-without-progress-end-strike-union-says-2024-09-28/ . <>
