Striking Boeing machinists started returning to work on Wednesday after voting for a new contract with substantial wage increases. The 33,000 Seattle-area machinists voted 59 percent to accept, just two weeks after two-thirds of them voted to reject a slightly worse contract.
Voting was more subdued this time, workers said. “The big difference in this contract is that we’re getting a lot of intimidation from our CEO now,” said striker Mylo Lang. He voted “no.”
“We put in a long, hard fight. We achieved a lot,” said Jon Voss, a steward at the Renton factory, where they build the 737. “Boeing does not get to be the bully that they have been for the past twenty-five years.”
The new contract increases wages 38 percent over four years, substantially increases the 401(k) match, slightly improves mandatory overtime rules, and contains a promise to build the next plane in the Puget Sound area.
It does not restore the defined benefit pension, a big demand of many strikers.
The negotiating committee recommended the deal, saying, “We believe that we have secured one of the strongest contracts in the aerospace industry. Many other bargaining units will be inspired by our strength and the results you all achieved.”
The members of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Districts 751 and W24 construct passenger and freight jets at two huge factories in Everett and Renton, Washington, building 737, 767, and 777 aircraft, while others work at parts and fabrication plants in Washington and Oregon.
They walked out September 13 after voting 95 percent to reject a contract that union leaders recommended. The strike has cost the company an estimated $5.5 billion.
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Auteur: Jenny Brown
