Boeing workers vote to strike

[LiviaOlivia]

Boeing workers vote to strike
08-01-2005

SEATTLE (AP) -- Boeing Co. machinists have voted to strike as union members overwhelmingly rejected a three-year contract proposal their leaders had deemed "insulting."

Union members late on Thursday voted 86 percent in favor of a strike beginning at 12:01 a.m. local time (7:01 a.m. GMT) Friday. Under union rules, the contract would have been automatically ratified -- and workers would have stayed on the job -- unless two-thirds of the union members voted to strike.

The strike will affect about 18,400 machinists who assemble Boeing's commercial airplanes and some key components in the Seattle area, Gresham, Ore., and Wichita, Kan.

~snip~

Leaders of the Seattle-based Machinists Lodge 751 had urged its members to "reject this insulting Boeing proposal," saying it fell woefully short on top issues including pension payments and increased health care costs. District Lodge 751 is negotiating for employees in all three states, although some terms differ based on location.

~snip~

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/BUSINESS/09/01/boeing.strike.ap

[Sabriel]

1. I can't see how this is a good idea

How many people are going to be flying once the fuel surcharges hit? Not many orders for new jets, I'd imagine.

[Trillo]

2. Curious that it's happening at the same time as the Northwestern strike.

Nah, with CEO pay what it is, there probably isn't a lot of orders for many things.

Perhaps this is a chance to give thier masters the big middle finger. A perfect storm perhaps?

[Centered]

3. Bad timing

Going on Strike while several cities worth of people are unemployed is just plain stupid... the workers should put a temporary stay on this plan otherwise it will make them seem greedy. I'm not saying they shouldn't strike... just that they shouldn't right now.

Centered

[JoFerret]

4. Maybe

...but when is ever good? These people are fighting for pension and health care issues. It's a necessary fight.

[fortyfeetunder]

5. Recent news...

..these events happened during negotiations, and just as the strike began.

http://news.techwhack.com/1599/james-mcnerney-gets-a-usd-53-million-pay-package-at-boeing/

"Boeing is paying big to their new chief executive office James McNerney. His pay package is valued at USD 53 million that includes USD 25.3 million in stock awards. This was to compensate for what he would have received in his earlier company 3M. His salary comes to around USD 1.75 million and he is also legible for bonuses of around USD 4.03 million. "

and, for holding down the fort...

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/stories.nsf/0/8716871A6B0BAA178625706F005B5A5E?OpenDocument

"Boeing Co. has awarded nearly $2 million worth of restricted stock to two top leaders for their extra work during a 116-day span when the defense and aerospace giant went without a chief executive in the wake of Harry Stonecipher's ouster."


The IAM members, are responsible for assembling aircraft, literally a pop can (yes, the skin is made of thin sheets of aluminum) designed to carry hundreds of people in the air. Whenever you fly on a commercial aircraft, you expect the airplane to be constructed flawlessly, built robustly and operate safely. Thanks to the thousands of Machinists, this has been made possible.

edited for clarification...