Posted on 09/01/2005 8:38:22 PM PDT by anymouse
Boeing Co. Machinists voted Thursday to strike as union members overwhelmingly rejected a three-year contract proposal their leaders had deemed "insulting." Union members voted 86 percent in favor of a strike beginning at 12:01 a.m. local time Friday. Under union rules, the contract would have been automatically ratified -- and workers would have stayed on the job -- unless two-thirds of the union members voted to strike.
The strike will affect about 18,400 Machinists who assemble Boeing's commercial airplanes and some key components in the Seattle area, Gresham, Ore., and Wichita, Kan.
Company officials said earlier in the week that a strike would be devastating, forcing the company to slowly shut down commercial airplane production.
Leaders of the Seattle-based Machinists Lodge 751 had urged its members to "reject this insulting Boeing proposal," saying it fell woefully short on top issues including pension payments and increased health care costs. District Lodge 751 is negotiating for employees in all three states, although some terms differ based on location.
Chicago-based Boeing has defended its retirement proposal as one of the best in the industry, and the company said that despite some medical-cost increases it would continue to shoulder the bulk of workers' health care costs.
The union last went on strike in 1995, when workers walked out for 69 days.
One union thug tried to break into my father's office and demanded to speak with my father. Dad pulled out a .45, told this jack-ass to sit down, buzzed his secretary to call the police, and subsequently the police arrested the thug on several Federal charges.
Why do you think the steel mini-mills are so successfull? Ever heard of Nucor steel, based in Darlington, TX. Do you understand why so much industry has left the rust belt and moved South?
Too many people do not understand Economics or Accounting, or Simple Business processees.
There's 500,000 unemployed people right now - sounds like they need a shelter and technical college up there to fix Boeing's problem.
And you are proud of this? You are no better than these scum. I guessed right you are a Spoiled SPEEA puke.
Boeing has idiots for managers if they let unions extort increases by having no backup plans.
Of course their next step is to move more and more assembly work offshore like they have with much of their parts suppliers.
You union pukes have a career death wish.
yeah we were proud of it. The company basically dared us to go and we went.
We did it on our own. We weren't being directed by some higher up union thugs.
I am not trying to defend SPEEA. I am a beck objector and fight them all the time.
I am trying to balance some of the knee jerk anti-union posts.
What would you guys think would be worth striking over?
With this comment, you sound like a union shill.
First, this does not affect the rest of your career unless you plan to retire in 3 years. Second, your description of Katrina as a "weather event" is heartless and not descriptive. Katrina has pushed gas prices nationwide up 50 cents to a dollar a gallon, pushed up natural gas even more, had many stations running out of fuel, probably will result in thousands of deaths and is the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States, and you call it "a weather event".
When the world changes, you have to change too. The UAW and GM needed to change and they didn't and now look at them.
Yep it is a natural weather event and it isn't even close to the biggest natural disaster in US history (not at this point at least).
This contract will affect the rest of your career. If you accept this retiremnt amount the next increases will be based on this point.
More importantly this is the second really bad contract from the company. If the union rolls over it is over fro them.
Everybody talks like this is all up to the union and that only they should consider the tragedy in NO in their decision. If it was such a catastrophic event that should be considered then maybe the company should consider it. they could extend the contract 3 months and continue to negotiate.
I assur eyou I am no shill for the IAM.
Nothing. I would be thankful for my job and shut-up, do my work, and do the best that I could to help the company make the most profit possible. Of course, if I didn't like to do that, I could always look for work somewhere else. Where does it say that a company owes you a job?
You contradict yourself. Earlier you wrote
"But while we were out the stock fell $12 (about $12,000,000,000 reduction in shareholder value), I estimated that it would have cost $120,000,000 to avoid the strike."
Yet when you fail to mention that "If you (Boeing) accept this amount (120 million) the next increases will be based on this point. Your viewpoint is at a minimum one sided and from the Union side at that. At a maximum, you are a worthless union shill.
please stop with the personal attacks. I am not a union shill. And your judging me as worthless does not help your arguement.
Since you appear to be a math wiz lets follow your logic. So I implied that they could have avoided the strike for 1%. Now lets compound that and you will see that it will take ... a long time to make up $12B.
But hey a couple of years ago they paid $120m in bonuses to just the top 7 execs. (I think some of them are in jail right now). So explain to me again about greed.
It seems people here hate the guys who build the planes, the guys who design the planes. Who at the company do you think rises above worthless?
The worst natural
disaster in United States history was a hurricane that killed 6000 people in
Galveston, Texas in 1900.
Details of Boeing's final contract offer to Machinists
Associated Press
Highlights of Boeing Co.'s final three-year contract offer to roughly 18,400 Machinist workers in the Seattle area; Gresham, Ore.; and Wichita, Kan.:
_Pension increase to $66 per month per year of service, up from $60 in the current contract.
_1 percent cost-of-living adjustments annually, plus 2.5 percent pay raise in the third year of the contract for workers in the Seattle area and Gresham.
Wichita: No wage increases.
_Two $3,000 lump-sum bonuses - one on ratification, another in the second year of the contract, for workers in the Seattle area and Gresham. Boeing would match 50 percent of the bonuses if workers rolled them into the company's 401(k)-style retirement savings plan.
Wichita: A one-time payout of $2,800, which would increase to $4,200 if any employee chose to deposit that money in the retirement account.
_Five days extra pay annually for workers in the Seattle area and Gresham if Boeing meets its performance targets, or up to 15 days extra pay if the company surpasses targets.
_Employee contributions to monthly health care premiums between zero and 15 percent (zero to $70 for individuals, $20 to $210 for family coverage). Workers can lower their premiums by taking part in wellness and health management programs.
_Medical benefits for current, but not future, retirees, except for laid-off workers who are recalled.
_Recall rights. Some employees laid off after Sept. 11, 2001, will have those rights extended, allowing extra time to secure their seniority and benefit rights if they're rehired.
Boeing Statement on Strike by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in Puget Sound, Portland, Ore., and Wichita, Kan.
SEATTLE, Sept. 1, 2005 — We are disappointed with the outcome of the IAM vote today. No one ever benefits from a strike.
Our goal for these negotiations has always been to reach an agreement that works for our employees and the company, so that we could continue to create jobs and opportunities for everybody associated with Boeing. We offered a comprehensive contract that compared favorably with others in our industry and in the regions where we operate.
Boeing employees should know that our top priority during any work stoppage is assuring a safe, secure and welcoming place to work. Employees not represented by the IAM should report to work tomorrow as usual, and all employees willing to continue working will be afforded the opportunity to do so for as long as there is meaningful work to perform.
We don’t intend to assemble airplanes during this strike. We will continue focusing on support for our customers and their in-service fleets, performing design and development activities, and conducting other meaningful work.
We have said throughout that it is important to respect the negotiations process. The company has stood by that commitment.
http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2005/q3/nr_050901b.html
The employment situation in Seattle still sucks. I hope those F@cks get booted from Boeing for good.
The machinist union at Boeing is probably one of the foulest, moronic unions on the planet.
Boeing should of move to Texas when they had the chance. Most of those machinists have the brain power of a 14 year old. Their pay and benefits are truely rediculous.
I hope Boeing does shut them down for good. These morons couldn't get a job at McDonalds.
and just when Boeing was getting ready to take the lead back from Airbus and truely start kicking their asses.
The machinists are braindead and deserve to end up broke and miserable.
Maybe next year.
They say they're not going to assemble any planes during the strike. Lets say this lasts a month. That'll be around 30 737's, 10? 777's, 1 747's, ? 767's. Lots of dough down the tube.
The democrats have their lips firmly plants on union leaders asses and vice versa in Washington state.
The democrats will make it incredibly difficult on Boeing to manuver around this strike in anyway like they always do.
Nice little scam they have going. Read below.
WASHINGTON — Government workers in the state of Washington are being hit with a tough choice — if they want to keep their jobs, they have to join the union or pay a hefty union fee.
"I don't like being forced. I don't like being told either join the union or I lose my job," said state employee Sharon Mathews.
The Personnel Reform Act passed in 2002 gives managers more flexibility in hiring, firing and outsourcing. It also allowed the workers union to bargain directly with the governor on provisions of their contracts. After taking office this year, Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire (search) gave state workers a raise and then gave the union the power to have any worker fired who didn't either join or fork over a representation fee of up to $45 per month.
"I think a lot of us jumped on the bandwagon out of fear," said another state employee, Kristie Hubble.
The measure also allows the union to challenge reforms in the law, including making it easier to fire bad workers or outsource jobs.
"It means that a rogue manager isn't going to be the final say. They've got a contract they can use as a weapon to beat back unfair treatment, unfair treatment as far as contracting out," said Tim Welch, director of public affairs for the Washington Federation of State Employees.
The federation has nearly doubled its membership since Gregoire's changes. It's income also nearly doubled to what is now nearly $10 million. Officials say it's only fair that all workers join since all workers benefit from the federation's contract negotiations with the state.
Business representatives say they worry the union's increased political muscle will drive up already high labor costs.
"There will be increased political activity and they will have just by the sheer numbers of people involved in their union and by the share of dollars they'll receive there will be increased clout," said Dan Brunell of the Washington Business Association.
Union leaders say they're even-handed when it comes to political donations, but the numbers from the 2004 election tell a different story. Seventy-five percent of the union's candidate contributions went to Democrats. The union also gave $200,000 to the Democratic Governors Association and paid $250,000 to the state Democratic Party to underwrite the third vote count that finally put Gregoire into office.
"These pensions do not adjust for inflation after you retire so they will never go up."
It's hard to feel sympathetich when union members are complaining about a benefit most of american doesn't even dream of.
Pensions have disappeared, mostly from changes made to social security, to almost everyone except union members in both the public and private sector.
When they whine about their pensions not being as generous as they want them to be, or having to chip in some for health insurance, they will rightly get damn little sympathy from folks without pensions who pay hundreds of dollars of month just to cover PART of their insurance.
Cry me a freaking river. Boeing should be actively looking for permanent replacement workers.
I agree 100%
what gets me is a great number of these mechanics are just recently being recalled to work. I didnt think theyd actually be stoopid enough to strike. Many after being laid off had to work for much less pay, little to no benefits or pensions. The worst part is until the strike is over we'll have to endure countless whining about how UNFAIR boeing is. Boofreekinghoo!
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