Machinists Strike At Boeing As Talks Fail

No Agreement After Arbitration With Federal Mediator

(AP)  Boeing Co. machinists walked out on strike Saturday after contract talks arbitrated by a federal mediator failed to produce an agreement.

About 100 union members hoisted their strike signs at 12:01 a.m. outside the Boeing plant in this city north of Seattle, cheering and blasting air horns at passing cars, many of which honked back.

"It's been about lack of respect," said Steve Morrison, 42, a tester at the Everett plant. "They always tell us we're valued much but labor is the first out the door, the first to be outsourced."

This is the machinists' second strike in as many contract negotiations with Boeing. They struck for 24 days in 2005.

The machinists assemble Boeing's commercial planes and some key components. Key strike issues include pay, outsourcing, retirement and health care benefits.

The company said it would not try to assemble planes during the strike.

Boeing spokesman Tim Healy said the company is open to further discussion, but both sides were too far apart to reach an agreement. No additional talks were scheduled.

Union members voted to strike on Wednesday, but both sides agreed to a 48-hour contract extension - requested by Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire and a federal mediator. However, negotiations failed Friday and the strike was on.

The union bargains for about 25,000 workers in the Puget Sound area, 1,500 in the Portland, Ore. area and about 750 in Wichita, Kan.

"We're not greedy, we just want a piece of the pie," said Scott Daniels as he helped make picket signs late Friday. "They offer us bonuses. We don't want bonuses." Machinists want an improved 401k and improved vacation, he said.

Analysts have said a strike could cost Boeing about $100 million per day in deferred revenue. During the last strike, Boeing was unable to deliver more than two dozen airplanes on schedule.

Boeing's commercial airplane manufacturing operation, based in the Seattle area, has led a resurgence by the company over the past two years amid heavy orders for its much-awaited and increasingly delayed 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

Overall, the company reported in July a backlog of airplane orders worth $346 billion.

Asked why he thought a strike would be effective, Eras Gattshall, a 47-year-old aerospace mechanic in Everett, replied, "Boeing is its best financial shape in years. All we're asking is a fair wage."

Gattshall has been with Boeing for 12 years but has been laid off twice.

Tom Wroblewski, president of Machinists District Lodge 751, declared in a statement Friday that Boeing had "disrespected the finest aerospace workers anywhere on the planet" by failing to meet machinists' expectations.

In a last-ditch attempt to avoid a paralyzing strike, negotiators for the aerospace giant and the union had jetted off to a Disney resort in Florida, in part so Tom Buffenbarger, International Association of Machinists international president, could participate. He was at the resort for an IAM convention.

"Over the past two days, Boeing, the union and the federal mediator worked hard in pursuing good-faith explorations of options that could lead to an agreement," Scott Carson, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said Friday in a statement. "Unfortunately the differences were too great to close."

Boeing operations in Washington, Oregon and Kansas will remain open, Carson said. Employees, such as engineers, who are not represented by the Machinists are expected to report for work as usual, he added.

Boeing's "best and final" three-year contract offer included bonuses totaling at least $5,000 and averaging $6,400, raises averaging 11 percent, pension increases and a 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment - $34,000 in average pay and benefit gains per employee, according to the company.

The average Boeing machinist earns $27 an hour, or about $56,000 a year, before overtime and incentives.

[ddaryl1]

Unions are the only thing protecting Aem,erican workers

anyone who says differently isn''t very birght. Boeing has had record orders over the last 4 years and record profits as a coproratin in the same period.

BUT Boeing, after already placing helath care costs on the employees over the last 2 contracts want to put even more of healthcare costs on the employees shoulderes even after record profits.

SO tell what does it take ofr a corporation to achieve before they will negotiate a contract that takes away nothing from its workers.

Boeing is showing the stereo typiocal wallstreet greed. CEO''s and Execs at Boeing all get HUGE 20% raises over the last couple of years , they get FULL COVERED HEALTHCARE, they get retriement plans that pay them $100K to $1 million per year when they retires but they can''t give the union a contract with no takeawyas and imporved job security language.

Coprporate Ameirca is greedy and very evil and Corporate MAeirca is a majorly responsible for the downturn in the econmy of this country. It''s their greed that is taking more and more money away from workers in this country, and that is effecting the entie nation.

Get the money down to the workers and this economy will get better. Continue to put more health care burden and redtirement burden on the workers and this country and its economy has no chance of recovery

NO CHANCE

[jt_lancer]

Rafterman - ''The corporations should get ALL the power and the American worker should have NO power.''

So, you are powerless to seek better employment at higher wages? Don''t give me the ''no power'' ***. If you don''t like your job, find a better one.

OR, better yet, work for yourself instead of being a wage slave.

[mawskrat]

airbust gets billions in Europian subsidies...it really distorts the market and gives airbust an unfair advantage in bidding contracts.

[fstop100]

Don''t cry when Air Bus gets the contract for government refueling planes. Unions are part of the destruction of America.

[rafterman1]

===Every company with a Unionized labor force in America has BIG problems. That''''s why GM wants to borrow $57B from the federal goverment. Unions are an outdated institution, this is a global economy and any company that wants to compete must rid themselves of labor unions.===
Posted by SkyFive

Yep. The corporations should get ALL the power and the American worker should have NO power. Just the way the 19th century liked it.

[rafterman1]

===These brats are the reasons why US Companies are outsourcing jobs oversea.===
Posted by nchau1

No, one hundred million dollar executives'' salaries are why companies are outsourcing. The workers have to get what they can from these rich boys. More power to them. If you are against unions, you are against American workers. And if you are against unions and you are a worker, then you are a fool and a traitor to your class.

[mawskrat]

I had to go to trade school for 5 years before I could stand for my journeymans test.lol Unions have thier own schools to train future workers in the trades,to make shure thing are done right the first time. some would have a scab working on a nuclear power plant because union workers make to much money. you get what you pay for in the long run!

[frankie2fing]

Profitability is what insures job security, not labor unions. Labor unions decrease profitability and increase cost.
Posted by SkyFive

Your wrong, check your stats and the bull that comes out of limpaugh''s mouth. Most union jobs are profitable and cost effective. The workers are usually the most skilled. Check your sources. In other words: ''make sure your brain is in gear before you open your mouth.''

[frankie2fing]

Think about this America..
Unions are pure Socialism, borerline Communism.
Workers are not rewarded on merit, but rather "time"

"We''''re not greedy, we just want a piece of the pie,"

Unions are the downfall of this nation.
Just go get a job somewhere else if you think you are so talented and worth more money.
Posted by republic1776

Are you an idiot or just plain stupid. You obviously have never worked at a union workplace. The tend to be the best trained workers, the worksite is usually the safest and most employees are honest and hard working. There are a few exceptions. You also have not studied history. Corporations are notorious for scr_ewing over labor. Unions abated that somewhat, but the beast slouches around again, thanks to the republican deity know are reagan.
Unions are responsible for the 40 hour week, child labor laws, work-site safety, vacation, sick leave, reasonable pay, job security, health benefits, retirement and many other benefits too numerous to list but all labor (even a-holes like you) enjoy today. And, fool, union employees can be and are fired for cause. The company has to do it right and build its case against the employee, a paper trail if you will, with escalating penalties, allowing the employee to ''get his/her act together'' if he/she desires. This prevent the company from coming in and says ''hey, your too old'' or ''your hair is red, goodbye.'' Unions are not the enemy of this country, the republicans are.

[darkfyreaol]

nchau1: It''s not so simple as that. One thing a union does ensure: Job security. They''re the finest aerospace technicians in the nation, and while you can replace them, they have the experience under their belt that people fresh out of college wouldn''t have.

[nchau1]

These ungrateful employees should be thanksful that they still have their jobs. Boeing Corp should go ahead and fire all of them then hire new employees.
I have no sympathy for these punch of brats. These brats are the reasons why US Companies are outsourcing jobs oversea.

[sistatee-2009]

CBS just censored me for typing D*A*R*N. Good catch, CBS!

[sistatee-2009]

"Boeing Co. machinists walked out on strike"

Both of them? ***! Boeing better outsource THOSE two jobs!

[republic1776]

Think about this America..
Unions are pure Socialism, borerline Communism.
Workers are not rewarded on merit, but rather "time"

[republic1776]

"We''re not greedy, we just want a piece of the pie,"

Unions are the downfall of this nation.
Just go get a job somewhere else if you think you are so talented and worth more money.

[naogirl8]

mawskrat, and bushisadik thanks for your support.It appears you have done your homework. With all due respect these side line know it alls need to do their homework. Machinist are not asking for raises for the old timers but the new hires that come in making less then $10 per hour. We''re not so much asking for more, if the greedy company would stop taking from the shop people and padding the executives pocket. The last two contracts we have excepted take aways because the company said it was in a tight squeeze but this time is our time. I don''t think 13 billion is a tight squeeze. Appears the more the company make the more they want to take from the workers. Wake up out there, it is our sweat that is building this company. At least give us better medical and pension. My son do better at COSTCO then I do and he was 6 years old when I start with Boeing 22 years ago. Figure that out.

[mawskrat]

every as in all have big problems...that''s a mighty big brush.lol

[mawskrat]

airbus is highly unionized...IG Metal out of Germany

they have BIG problems at airbus. maybe you should read a bit before you open your mouth.

[mawskrat]

my union brothers and sisters....you have my support. some folks just don''t understand how much a union person loses when they are on strike. It''s money you never get back and no health care.

IUOE

[marshall_nee]

The effects of price inflation.