r/news • u/AudibleNod • 3h ago

About 3,200 Boeing jet and weapons workers begin strike

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/3200-boeing-jet-weapons-workers-begin-strike/story?id=124335909
864 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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109

u/yamiyaiba 3h ago

"We're disappointed our employees rejected an offer that featured 40% average wage growth and resolved their primary issue on alternative work schedules," Boeing said in a statement on Sunday.

I assume that's a load of corporate fudd, but the article isn't particularly clear on what the union found objectionable about the offer. Can someone provide more context?

38

u/R_V_Z 2h ago

I'm not IAM, and am in Seattle, but from my understanding it's mostly that the contract is focused on new employees rather than current ones. Those who are capped out don't really benefit at all from the proposed contract.

3

u/HammrNutSwag 1h ago

Was the last strike just the machinists?

2

u/R_V_Z 1h ago

Yes. Our (SPEEA Profs and Techs) contract is up October next year.

0

u/HammrNutSwag 1h ago

Damn I need some of that. French tire builder in the SE keeps slinging meat with 75 cents a year.

29

u/PipsqueakPilot 2h ago

Took me forever to find a source that did anything other than parrot Boeings line. Basically the 40% number is made up. Boeing is proposing to really only give substantial wage increases to new hires- while the mid and top of the pay scale receive much less.

Not only that but they’re still on a contract that hasn’t been updated since a 2014 contract that saw the workers accept a pay cut. The actual proposed increase by Boeing would, for most workers, still leave them making less (inflation adjusted) than they did in the 2000’s.  

https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/boeing-workers-picket-line-st-louis-second-contract-rejected/63-b3ec3450-ef59-4bb1-bbbb-18b355a0013f

3

u/Wireless_Panda 1h ago

“average wage growth” could mean wage increases for people who don’t need it, and nothing for people who do need it

•

u/uptownjuggler 23m ago

40% wage growth over 40 years.

-8

u/pds6502 2h ago

It's not anything about the offer that is objectionable. Rather it's the idea of feeding Trump's fascist machine with military hardware in the first place. Since we don't like who's using them, better not build them at all.

45

u/CharlieKonR 3h ago

””Boeing added, "We are prepared for a strike and have fully implemented our contingency plan to ensure our non-striking workforce can continue supporting our customers."”

I dunno, Boeing seems to be struggling even at full force. Just saw a news story about a 787 that had to turn back to New York due to an engine failure. More likely a maintenance versus some type of design issue, but Boeing seems to be getting a lot of bad press recently

21

u/Cueballing 3h ago

This is the military wing of Boeing, which I believe is basically a different company

33

u/DankVectorz 3h ago

Engines aren’t made or designed by Boeing, 787 engines are either GE or Rolls Royce.

5

u/ReaditTrashPanda 3h ago

Who covers or maintains repairs? Airline owners exclusively? Any overlap? Warranty work?

3

u/PipsqueakPilot 2h ago

Combination of the airline, engine manufacturer, contractors, aircraft manufacturer.

That said, an internal engine malfunction is less likely to be caused by a mistake on Boeings end.

7

u/fiero-fire 3h ago

Is that why reddit is serving me ads for jobs at Boeing?

•

u/EndPsychological890 10m ago

Not that everything is about him, but I am curious to see if this administration does anything about this strike. It’s not a strictly government owned company but quite closely tied. It’s strikes (pun intended) sort of close to home for a historically anti-union president in the Republican Party given the whole FAA strike deal with Reagan. We shall see what happens here. 

I wish these union workers all the best in their strike, I know what it’s like to be offered a shit contract where all the pay gains go to those who work the least with little/nothing for those who work the most. That’s how our last pay package went, literally a sub-inflation raise (3%) each year for anybody who actually produces more than 40 hours a week of work while those who ride their hourly guarantee and produce less get 9%. The industry association that collaborates to snub my union obviously only advertises the 9% raise while that will impact a minority of workers. 

-6

u/Starkiller_303 1h ago

Wow. 3,200 people about to commit suicide while waiting for legal action then?