(New York) Several tens of thousands of Boeing employees are being called to vote Wednesday afternoon, during a party organized in a huge sports arena in Seattle (northwestern United States) by the machinists’ union, on the principle of going on strike in the event of a failure of wage negotiations.
“What can you do to get a good collective agreement? Take part in the July 17 vote on strike punishment,” urges the Seattle chapter of the International Machinists and Aerospace Workers Union (IAM).
It represents nearly 32,000 members in the region, including some 30,000 Boeing employees, including at the 737 assembly plants in Renton and the 777 in Everett. In the event of a strike, they will remain frozen.
Boeing and IAM-District 751 began negotiations on March 8 to develop a new collective agreement that will replace the sixteen-year-old agreement that expires at midnight on September 12.
“We remain optimistic that we can achieve a balance between the needs of our employees and the business realities facing the group,” Boeing told AFP.
The union is demanding a “substantial” wage increase of at least 40% over three years, as well as better social benefits (health insurance, retirement, cost of living, etc.) and job security, Jon Holden, president of this branch, recently explained to AFP.
Salaries have “stagnated for eight years”, with only four 1% increases over this period despite “massive inflation”.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun assured a Senate inquiry committee on June 16 that IAM union members would “definitely get a raise.” Without further details.
Regarding job security, another major focus of the negotiations, the union is not budging: the next plane (announced for 2035) must absolutely be manufactured in the region.
“It’s a guarantee of employment for the next 50 years,” Holden said.
According to the IAM, negotiations have been at a standstill for several weeks.
Show of force
As an integral part of its strategy, the union is counting on a strong mobilization on Wednesday to show its muscles to Boeing.
It is not only about “showing the solidarity and support” of members towards their negotiators, but also “making their voices heard [leur] voices around the world on that day,” the union explains in a leaflet.
In any case, they will not go unnoticed on the I-90 highway which crosses the city since a procession of nearly 800 motorcycles is expected to circulate there around 10 a.m. (1 p.m. Eastern time).
To create a sounding board, the union went big: it booked T-Mobile Park, home to the Seattle Mariners baseball team and with nearly 48,000 seats.
“When we are all present at this important event, the factory will be silent,” he warns, previewing the consequences of a strike.
Speeches are scheduled to begin at noon, and members will vote on their way out in the early afternoon. The result is expected in the evening.
District W24, which represents about 1,200 Boeing employees in Portland, Oregon, has also been negotiating since March 8 and will also vote Wednesday.
The Grand Lodge of the IAM will then be notified (a legal prerequisite required by the union’s Constitution) and will be able to prepare, in the event of a “yes”, to compensate the strikers with 250 dollars per week from the third week of work stoppage.
But an effective call for a strike will require a second vote, once the deadline has passed.
The union is also trying to get at least one seat on the board of directors of the group, which is going through what could be considered the seven plagues of Egypt.
For many months, the giant has been accumulating production and quality problems on its three commercial aircraft currently on the market (737, 787 and 777), which have led to numerous investigations. Many actions are being implemented to remedy this.
“We’ve never asked for this in the past, but it’s about our reputation, our jobs, our livelihood,” Holden said. “We care about this company and we have a right to have a say in some of the changes.”