EVERETT, WA (AP, MyBellinghamNow.com) – There could be a production-ending strike at Boeing after all.
The president of the local machinists union told the Seattle Times on Sept. 9 that he expects workers to vote down a contract negotiated by the union and Boeing over the weekend.
The tentative agreement includes 25% raises over four years and a promise that the company’s next new airplane will be built by union members in Washington. However, the deal falls short of the union’s initial demand for pay raises of 40% over three years and restoration of traditional pensions that were eliminated a decade ago.
The Union Bargaining Committee is recommending that members accept Boeing’s proposal ahead of their ratification vote on Sept. 12. The two-part election will first have members vote to ratify the contract—and if it’s rejected—they’ll then vote to authorize a strike that would begin the following day on Sept. 13.
A walkout at Boeing would not cancel any flights, but it would shut down production and leave the company with no jets to deliver to the airlines that ordered them.