SEATTLE: Striking workers at Boeing approved a new contract proposal late Monday, ending a more than seven-week stoppage that had cost the beleaguered aviation giant billions.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 751 said it had ratified the offer by a vote of 59 per cent after rejecting two prior offers.
The move will send some 33,000 Seattle-area employees back to work and restore operations at two major assembly plants after what became the costliest strike this century, at a time when Boeing is trying to recover from multiple setbacks.
The contract includes a 38 per cent wage hike, a $12,000 signing bonus and provisions to lift employer contributions to a 401K retirement plan and contain health care costs.
But it does not restore Boeing’s former pension plan that had been sought by older workers.
Jon Holden, head of the Seattle union, described the agreement as a win for workers who were determined to make up for more than a decade of stagnant wages.
“It’s time for us to come together. This is a victory,” Holden said. “The strike will end and now it’s our job to get back to work and start building the airplanes, increase the rates and bring this company back to financial success.”
Holden called the struggle to restore the pensions a “righteous fight,” adding, “we’ll continue working on that issue, retirement security, for the rest of our lives.”
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg welcomed the ratification, adding that management and workers must work together as “part of the same team,” according to a company statement.
Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2024
