Boeing Strike Over
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Boeing Strike Over
Boeing Machinists vote to end 57-day strike
By Dominic Gates
Seattle Times aerospace reporter
Boeing Machinists voted overwhelmingly Saturday to end their eight-week strike, bringing relief to people around the region affected by the shutdown.
Seventy-four percent voted to end the strike.
As the votes were counted in the evening at the Seattle union hall, dozens of subdued Machinists and union officials watched quietly.
It was a far cry from the raucous atmosphere and chants of "Strike, strike, strike!" on the night of Sept. 3 when the Machinists voted to go out.
After 57 days on strike, the first machinists to return will start third shift tonight, and a large majority will be back at work Monday.
"It's over," said Mark Blondin, national aerospace coordinator for the International Association of Machinists (IAM). "It's been hard on our members. They've earned this contract."
Blondin rejected recent suggestions by analysts that the strike would be the final straw that impels Boeing to build future airplanes elsewhere. He said the breakdown in the heavily outsourced model for building the 787 Dreamliner has only proven how much Boeing needs his members.
"Our leverage is the skills and abilities of this workforce," Blondin said.
The strike left airlines waiting for jets, some of which were lined up not quite finished at Boeing Field near the union hall.
The Dreamliner is delayed by at least two months and likely won't fly until next year.
The shutdown of jet production also cost Boeing more than $2 billion in profits, Wall Street analysts estimate.
Outside Boeing, suppliers in Washington and around the world have laid off workers or slowed production.
And with 25,000 families in the Puget Sound region without paychecks, small businesses here that provide services to Boeing workers have seen revenues plummet.
Machinists streamed into polling places Saturday in Monroe, Auburn and Seattle to vote on the deal hashed out between Boeing and the IAM in Washington D.C. last week.
The deal provides similar compensation to what was offered before the strike, though extended to four years from three and including a few significant Boeing concessions:
Many lower-paid Machinists will get an extra $1 an hour from the deal. All Machinists will retain their medical plans with no cost increases. And the union won some limitations on outsourcing of factory work and job protection for 5,000 members delivering parts and maintaining the facilities.
After the vote outcome, Scott Carson, chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said the company will "retain the flexibility needed" to introduce new processes involving the delivery of parts from outside vendors.
And he welcomed the four-year term of the new contract — a year longer than is typical — "which adds to long-term stability for Boeing."
"We're looking forward to having our team back together to resume the work of building airplanes," Carson said.
Tom Wroblewski, president of IAM District 751, said the result was a "great vote of confidence in the union leadership," which had recommended acceptance.
"Absolutely, it's a win for the union," he said.
Rob Mosley, 53, said he was one of the minority of Machinists who voted to accept the contract offered back in September. "I thought it was a poor time to be pushing too much," he said.
Mosley said that unlike many of his workmates, he hadn't saved much in anticipation of a strike. "We've done a lot of cutting corners," he said. And if the strike had continued, he would have had to "pull some strings to make the next mortgage."
He's disappointed the deal reached was not a bigger improvement on the September offer.
"After having been out for eight weeks, I really hoped it would be considerably stronger," he said.
William Smith, 52, a 30-year Boeing veteran who delivers parts for the 777 in Everett, also voted to end the strike.
Smith said he didn't regret the strike, which he said ensures that working people continue to have a voice.
"Boeing is a good place to work," he said, "but make no mistake, it could get worse if we didn't have a voice."
Dennis Warren, 64, voted yes, but added: "It took a lot of soul-searching."
Warren has been at Boeing 25 years and works in Everett at the 777 "moonshine" shop, part of a team of highly skilled Machinists that develops production equipment and processes to solve problems or increase efficiency.
"Some are complaining that Boeing could have given more," Warren said. "But the mandate from corporate headquarters in Chicago probably wouldn't allow that."
Warren said the strike was worthwhile just for the agreement to mitigate outsourcing of factory work and for the removal of the company proposal to shift some medical costs to employees.
"Those two were deal-breakers," Warren said.
But Bill Forsythe, 50, a tool expediter in Auburn with 12 years of service at Boeing, after some deliberation in the hallway voted to reject the deal and stay on strike.
Although the union won some concessions on job protection from future outsourcing of parts and tool delivery, Forsythe said it didn't go far enough — he would like to see some of the work previously outsourced brought back in-house.
People whose work is far removed from aerospace will be glad to see the strike end.
Carol Sluys, owner of Curves, a women's gym in Arlington, is married to a Boeing Machinist, and her business is heavily dependent on Boeing families.
She said she's lost 60 members of about 500 since the strike started in September, a period when gym membership generally picks up after a summer slowdown.
The downturn is not all due to the strike, she said, but a combination of the financial crash, the strike and the impending closure of Meridian Yacht in Arlington, which is set to close by year-end with a loss of nearly 800 jobs.
Sluys said the money she's put into her household with her husband on strike means there's little left over to put into the gym if things don't pick up.
"I don't think the strike ever should have happened," Sluys said. "It's a dangerous thing to do in this economy."
She said her husband voted to go back to work.
Both Boeing and the union made concessions with regard to how the strike should end.
The union agreed to withdraw charges filed with the Department of Labor alleging unfair bargaining practices by Boeing.
The company agreed to make the strikers whole for all medical costs incurred during the strike as if the company's health plan had continued without interruption. This includes reimbursement of any health-insurance premiums paid to continue coverage and out-of-pocket medical bills.
To allow employees to unwind other commitments they may have made — such as interim jobs — Boeing will give strikers until Nov. 10 to return to work.
By Dominic Gates
Seattle Times aerospace reporter
Boeing Machinists voted overwhelmingly Saturday to end their eight-week strike, bringing relief to people around the region affected by the shutdown.
Seventy-four percent voted to end the strike.
As the votes were counted in the evening at the Seattle union hall, dozens of subdued Machinists and union officials watched quietly.
It was a far cry from the raucous atmosphere and chants of "Strike, strike, strike!" on the night of Sept. 3 when the Machinists voted to go out.
After 57 days on strike, the first machinists to return will start third shift tonight, and a large majority will be back at work Monday.
"It's over," said Mark Blondin, national aerospace coordinator for the International Association of Machinists (IAM). "It's been hard on our members. They've earned this contract."
Blondin rejected recent suggestions by analysts that the strike would be the final straw that impels Boeing to build future airplanes elsewhere. He said the breakdown in the heavily outsourced model for building the 787 Dreamliner has only proven how much Boeing needs his members.
"Our leverage is the skills and abilities of this workforce," Blondin said.
The strike left airlines waiting for jets, some of which were lined up not quite finished at Boeing Field near the union hall.
The Dreamliner is delayed by at least two months and likely won't fly until next year.
The shutdown of jet production also cost Boeing more than $2 billion in profits, Wall Street analysts estimate.
Outside Boeing, suppliers in Washington and around the world have laid off workers or slowed production.
And with 25,000 families in the Puget Sound region without paychecks, small businesses here that provide services to Boeing workers have seen revenues plummet.
Machinists streamed into polling places Saturday in Monroe, Auburn and Seattle to vote on the deal hashed out between Boeing and the IAM in Washington D.C. last week.
The deal provides similar compensation to what was offered before the strike, though extended to four years from three and including a few significant Boeing concessions:
Many lower-paid Machinists will get an extra $1 an hour from the deal. All Machinists will retain their medical plans with no cost increases. And the union won some limitations on outsourcing of factory work and job protection for 5,000 members delivering parts and maintaining the facilities.
After the vote outcome, Scott Carson, chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said the company will "retain the flexibility needed" to introduce new processes involving the delivery of parts from outside vendors.
And he welcomed the four-year term of the new contract — a year longer than is typical — "which adds to long-term stability for Boeing."
"We're looking forward to having our team back together to resume the work of building airplanes," Carson said.
Tom Wroblewski, president of IAM District 751, said the result was a "great vote of confidence in the union leadership," which had recommended acceptance.
"Absolutely, it's a win for the union," he said.
Rob Mosley, 53, said he was one of the minority of Machinists who voted to accept the contract offered back in September. "I thought it was a poor time to be pushing too much," he said.
Mosley said that unlike many of his workmates, he hadn't saved much in anticipation of a strike. "We've done a lot of cutting corners," he said. And if the strike had continued, he would have had to "pull some strings to make the next mortgage."
He's disappointed the deal reached was not a bigger improvement on the September offer.
"After having been out for eight weeks, I really hoped it would be considerably stronger," he said.
William Smith, 52, a 30-year Boeing veteran who delivers parts for the 777 in Everett, also voted to end the strike.
Smith said he didn't regret the strike, which he said ensures that working people continue to have a voice.
"Boeing is a good place to work," he said, "but make no mistake, it could get worse if we didn't have a voice."
Dennis Warren, 64, voted yes, but added: "It took a lot of soul-searching."
Warren has been at Boeing 25 years and works in Everett at the 777 "moonshine" shop, part of a team of highly skilled Machinists that develops production equipment and processes to solve problems or increase efficiency.
"Some are complaining that Boeing could have given more," Warren said. "But the mandate from corporate headquarters in Chicago probably wouldn't allow that."
Warren said the strike was worthwhile just for the agreement to mitigate outsourcing of factory work and for the removal of the company proposal to shift some medical costs to employees.
"Those two were deal-breakers," Warren said.
But Bill Forsythe, 50, a tool expediter in Auburn with 12 years of service at Boeing, after some deliberation in the hallway voted to reject the deal and stay on strike.
Although the union won some concessions on job protection from future outsourcing of parts and tool delivery, Forsythe said it didn't go far enough — he would like to see some of the work previously outsourced brought back in-house.
People whose work is far removed from aerospace will be glad to see the strike end.
Carol Sluys, owner of Curves, a women's gym in Arlington, is married to a Boeing Machinist, and her business is heavily dependent on Boeing families.
She said she's lost 60 members of about 500 since the strike started in September, a period when gym membership generally picks up after a summer slowdown.
The downturn is not all due to the strike, she said, but a combination of the financial crash, the strike and the impending closure of Meridian Yacht in Arlington, which is set to close by year-end with a loss of nearly 800 jobs.
Sluys said the money she's put into her household with her husband on strike means there's little left over to put into the gym if things don't pick up.
"I don't think the strike ever should have happened," Sluys said. "It's a dangerous thing to do in this economy."
She said her husband voted to go back to work.
Both Boeing and the union made concessions with regard to how the strike should end.
The union agreed to withdraw charges filed with the Department of Labor alleging unfair bargaining practices by Boeing.
The company agreed to make the strikers whole for all medical costs incurred during the strike as if the company's health plan had continued without interruption. This includes reimbursement of any health-insurance premiums paid to continue coverage and out-of-pocket medical bills.
To allow employees to unwind other commitments they may have made — such as interim jobs — Boeing will give strikers until Nov. 10 to return to work.
