Boeing | A “final” offer to end the strike

(New York) The International Union of Machinists (IAM) on Monday evening deemed insufficient the proposal from the Boeing group, including in particular a 30% wage increase over four years, presented as its “best offer” to end the strike in the United States.

The group had set a September 27 deadline for ratification by union members, which the union ruled out, saying the proposal did not “go far enough to meet the demands” of striking workers.

More than 33,000 workers at the American aircraft manufacturer in the Seattle region (northwest) have been on strike since September 13, as part of the negotiation of their new collective agreement.

“Ending the strike is the top priority,” Kelly Ortberg, Boeing’s boss since early August, said in a message to employees on Friday, saying he was “looking forward to getting on the road to recovery.”

The group’s two main factories in Renton (producing the 737, its best-selling plane) and Everett (producing the 777 and several military programs) are among the sites that have been completely shut down for ten days.

A hard blow for the manufacturer, which is going through a difficult period and which has taken measures, including partial technical unemployment affecting tens of thousands of employees, to preserve its cash flow during the walkout.

A draft agreement had been rejected on September 12 by nearly 95% of members of IAM-District 751, the local branch of the union, who were not satisfied with the proposals, particularly in terms of salary increases (+25% instead of the +40% requested) and retirement. They had voted to strike by 96%.

Boeing’s new “best and final” offer, according to the group, was deemed insufficient by the union on Monday.

“Boeing is falling far short of the mark with this proposal,” IAM-District 751 said in a statement, denouncing the fact that the offer was sent “directly to members and the media,” outside of negotiations that ended without results last week.

The union added that management had refused to meet with its representatives. It said it had sent a form to its members to get their opinion on the proposal.

“Sacrifices”

“It’s better, but I’m not sure it’s going to be enough,” Mike Corsetti, a 15-year Boeing employee at the Everett plant, told AFP.

The planemaker said that under its new proposal, the average annual wage for a unionized machinist would rise from $75,608 to $111,155 when the collective agreement expires in four years.

It also proposes a double bonus to $6,000, as well as the reinstatement of a performance bonus – eliminated in the preliminary agreement – and an increased contribution to the retirement savings plan.

The rest of the deal presented on September 8 remains unchanged, particularly the commitment to produce the next plane – expected in 2035 – in the Seattle area. That represents a promise of jobs for decades.

The collective agreement currently under discussion is intended to replace the one concluded in 2008, after a 57-day strike, and which was extended in 2011 and 2014.

Negotiations between Boeing and IAM-District 751 began in March, and a session with federal mediators on September 17-18 failed to find common ground and no date was set for a new round of talks.

The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service “FMCS remains committed to facilitating dialogue and will continue to monitor the situation closely,” its spokesperson told AFP on Monday morning, inviting both parties to “keep the lines of communication open.”

Strikers have set up picket lines around several Boeing sites in the state of Washington, the automaker’s birthplace, and in neighboring Oregon. Boeing said there is also a “small group” in California.

Boeing shares closed Monday’s session on the New York Stock Exchange up 1.96%.