Boeing machinists strike

[Ghost Dog]

Source: Reuters

Sat Sep 6, 2008 7:25am EDT

NEW YORK/EVERETT, Washington (Reuters) - Boeing Co's 27,000-strong machinists' union walked off the job on Saturday after the plane maker failed to improve its contract offer after two days of emergency talks.

At midnight, a crowd of more than 100 employees gathered near the entrance of Boeing's factory in Everett, Washington, whistling, honking and waving picket signs as the strike got underway. A small police presence ensured the scene was calm.

"Despite meeting late into the night and throughout the day, continued contract talks with the Boeing Company did not address our issues," Tom Wroblewski, the IAM's Seattle-area president, said in a letter to members. "The strike is on."

...

Union volunteers rolled out 52-gallon oil drums -- known as "burn barrels" -- and readied coffee and soup to keep expected picketers warm at the company's Everett, Washington plant, despite the balmy late summer weather.

"It could be a couple of days or three months. It depends on whether the company wants them to go back to work," said Ed Zvonik, a 30-year Boeing veteran, when asked how long the strike might last.



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0529451820080906?sp=true

[pattmarty]

1. With the economy in the shitter, this may be a long/losing strike, unfortunately.

[Trajan]

4. NO Way ....

This is perhaps the most important union action in a long time ...

Boeing has much at stake: It's 787 Dreamliner is way behind, and their reputation is on the line with both customers and Wall Street ...

I think this will be over soon enough, and the union will win this one ...

[pattmarty]

11. I hope you're right.

[Ghost Dog]

7. Ah, apologies to pattmarty, who got in there some seconds before me

with the first comment.

NMe, I'd recommend upping labor's demands and being prepared to hold out for six months to a year or more.

Fuck it. Time to build something new, here, there, everywhere.

-

Me I recommend highly politicised General Strike.

Everywhere.

[Ghost Dog]

2. Very disappointing to see no comment here, after 3.5 hours

or so, on what is, imho, far more than a symbol of a far more than symbolic issue: fair pay, in the context of raging inflation, for manufacturing work vital to, I guess, not only the economic health but also the "national security" of the USA.

Yeah, I know, there's more fascinating stuff going on over there. And soundbites probably haven't told the brainwashed what to think, yet.

---

+ Thanks for the recs. Solidarity. :hi:

edited to add the word: "manufacturing".

[Yogi]

3. I wish them the best.

Solidarity forever!

[High Plains]

5. Funny how labor issues raise little interest on DU.

A reflection of the decline of labor even in the party of labor?

[pipoman]

6. Much of the labor force left or lost interest in the party

in the 1990s when the party began turning their backs on them in favor of the interests of urban elite and self proclaimed intellectuals...IMNSHO..

[Ghost Dog]

8. IMNSHO..

In my nuclear shit-hot opinion?

:shrug: :)

Say more.

[pipoman]

10. In my not so humble opinion..

which I reserve for opinions I believe are hard to refute. ;)

[Ghost Dog]

12. So, speak up? Move the political agenda?

One time late '60s, later university fucking intellectual myself (under british post-war socialism: no money otherwise) I keep my own hands dirty, - jobs around the house, the field, in the head, these days: earlier I got comfortable freelancing computer analysis, design, programming before that shit got outsourced.... In spite of all the books, keyboards and stuff - tuning in radio, later inet, no TV (rots your brain): that's the key; that and, just, talking to the neighbors. Seems reasonable to me at my mid-fifties still willing age. That and strong coffee, cigarettes and mostly Cuban music.

NSH, right. There are other ways to fight

the system. Sorry: just returned from an Italian restaurant where the fettucine with sheep cheese and black pepper was great and the grappa was strong. :(

Edit: meant to ask: who, what party or union or other kind of organization represents labor, then today in the USA? And I'll not believe you if you tell me some kind of organization is not necessary, not required.

[Ghost Dog]

14. Hang on. I was thinking (curse of so-called intellectuals): you're saying

that McMuck and what's-her-name are closer to the reality of the way folks think who labor than the other side?

Wouldn't suprise me, actually, from what I've seen in my own one-time country and from what I see now in mainland Europe.

Mussolini, in his day, was very popular, you know. And Franco did (social) good as well as bad.

[pipoman]

16. No

The exodus of the blue collar from the party was a response to the Democratic leadership's lockstep position with the pugs on NAFTA, GATT, and Chinese most favored trade status, combined with the positions taken by the party on gun control, immigration and religious issues. NAFTA and GATT was opposed by some 70% of the working class in this country. These agreements also marked the end of the power of labor unions in this country. They put US blue collar workers in competition with 3rd world labor. Many feel that if the Democratic party were really the labor party they would have opposed these agreements in favor of levying tariffs on goods coming from 3rd world economies until the standard of living was allowed to raise in those countries with incentives to do just that. Many of traditional Dem voters left the party in favor of the pugs because of their position on gun control and religion since they were abandoned on the labor issue, there was no reason left to stay. This is why Obama better wake up on the gun issue at least or this race is going to be a squeaker at best.

[WriteDown]

15. You may have it right....

Try to talk about GM/Ford and union workers on DU and the posts that show up are amazing. They range somewhere from "they are asking too much" to "Toyota could be having slaves make their cars and I would still buy." Seems that union labor is just out of style these days.

[pipoman]

17. I fully acknowledge the benefit

labor unions have given all US labor. The problem is they were moved into obsolescence by the trade agreements of the 1990's signed onto by our own party leaders against the will of the vast majority of blue collar labor. This along with the other issues I mentioned above have cost this party at least a decade of elections. Blue collar and rural states which were, for generations, solidly Democratic have went the other direction since these agreements were signed on and the failed assault weapons ban was enacted by our party leaders.

[unkachuck]

21. and you're right....

....the Left is also out of 'style' and we'll remain so until we fight and take our rightful place in the sun....there's nothing in our Constitution about capitalists or corporations....we don't have to apologize for being here, this is our country and our economy and we can damn well do what we please with it....we are the governed from which consent is given, we answer to no one....

....management never 'gives' you anything, you have to demand it, you have to take it from their greedy grip....working under a decent Union contract has so many advantages that it's beyond the imagination of most non-Union workers to fantom....

"We are ON STRIKE at 12:01am tonight."....Solidarity Forever!!

[Robbien]

13. It is hard to invest one's hopes

When it seems that union leadership appears to be working with management against the workers. The end result of many of the recent strike negotiations is that workers lose benefits and wages. The fight is usually on only how much they lose.

It is disheartening.

[pipoman]

18. I don't blame union leadership

I blame the unfair trade agreements which put the negotiations in the favor of the management...either accept these terms or we will move to Mexico, China, India or some other 3rd world.

[entanglement]

20. Discussing betrayals of workers by the trade union bureaucracy is a strict no-no in these parts

As is mentioning the fact that in some cases the unions have acted as co-management more than anything else. In the past 50 years or so, trade unions have degenerated into little more than reactionary organizations that divert workers anger into "manageable" channels. The bosses and union leadership have played a vile game of bad cop / good cop with the working class. Rather than unite workers for better conditions, pay, benefits and a more just social order, they keep workers confused, antagonistic to socialism and divided along as many lines as possible. They also actively undermine global working class solidarity by inciting hatred against the working class in other nations.

Needless to say, any strike action with even a remote chance of success is immediately betrayed.

This strike will also be betrayed just like the others.

[Blue_Tires]

22. we have several DUers at the forefront of labor issues, like Omaha Steve and others

[fortyfeetunder]

9. Check out the Machinists website

www.iam751.org

There was some interesting information regarding their rationale. I can understand why they had to strike.

[pipoman]

19. Boeing

is a company I am familar with as they are the largest employer in Wichita. The pickle in these negotiations is that of all industries, the aircraft industry is one of the easiest to move to another country where labor is cheap and plentiful...after all their product transports great distances quite easily.

[hunter]

23. If it looks like your industry is going to crash & burn, blame the workers...

I don't think the passenger airline industry has much of a future anymore. The "middle class" won't be able to afford airline tickets.