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<< Previous   of   Next >> Mark Mulligan / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Nikki Dawson, 17, Aaron Auerbach, 16, and Raymond Dawson, 12, join Jim Dawson (not pictured), a Machinist union member who has worked for Boeing for 30 years, on the picket line outside of the Boeing entrance on Airport Road in Everett on Saturday afternoon. Mark Mulligan / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Kevin Hagen, who has worked at Boeing for three months, stands on the picket line outside of the Boeing entrance on Airport Road in Everett on Saturday afternoon. (click to enlarge) Machinists Paula Klemencic, who works on the 777 line, and DeeDee Meyers, who works in receiving, wave to passing cars on the picket line. (click to enlarge)   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Mike Benbow, Business Editor benbow@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, September 7, 2008 Boeing Machinists dig in for long strike By Michelle Dunlop, Herald Writer EVERETT -- Machinists made walking the picket line a family affair on Saturday, the first day of a labor strike against the Boeing Co. "The whole contract just stinks," said Mark Galanti, who brought his sons to picket across from Boeing's offices on Seaway Boulevard. "They didn't really want to bargain with us." Boeing and its Machinists union called off contract talks Friday afternoon, saying they remained too far apart to avoid a work stoppage. At 12:01 Saturday morning, more than 24,000 union members in the region walked off the job until a new three-year labor deal can be signed. Production of Boeing's commercial jets came to a halt. Although leaders for both Boeing and the union maintained they are ready to talk, neither party budged on Saturday. No negotiations are scheduled, leading many to believe the strike could last a long time. Galanti is banking on a long strike. The 777 worker plans to head to the Philippines this week on vacation. As far apart as the union and Boeing stand on issues like cost-of-living adjustments, health insurance and job security guarantees, Galanti estimates the strike will last a month to six weeks. Connie Kelliher, local spokeswoman for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, was visiting with striking union members in Frederickson on Saturday afternoon. "The ball really is in Boeing's court," Kelliher said. "They know what the issues are." As the company prepared for last-minute talks with the Machinists on Wednesday night, Boeing's Doug Kight, lead negotiator, had suggested the union needed to boil down its demands to a "few critical issues." The controversial contract extension that was granted Wednesday night garnered little to no progress. Union members such as Galanti voted to reject Boeing's contract offer and 87 percent of the members voted in favor of a strike. Several Machinists in Everett didn't go to work Thursday or Friday, despite the contract extension. And those that did were angry and weren't productive, Galanti said. The Galantis were joined on the picket line by Dave and Carol Brister. The couple isn't as prepared as they would have like to be for a lengthy strike. Although he's worked for Boeing for 11 years, Dave Brister was laid off for three years, from 2002 to 2005, during an industry downturn as a result of terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Carol Brister has worked for Boeing for 18 months. "What they've done in the last few contracts is take a lot away," Carol Brister said. Machinists went on strike for 28 days against Boeing during their last contract negotiations in 2005 to keep medical benefits for retirees and pensions for new Machinists. Those same two topics resurfaced early in negotiations this time, but Boeing dropped both proposals as well as its request to divide out Machinists in Wichita. Scott Carson, president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, mentioned the concessions in a message to employees Wednesday night. He also highlighted the company's "outstanding" offer: an 11 percent general wage increase over three years, a $2,500 signing bonus, an increase in pension to $80 monthly for each year of service. "As we've said before, no one benefits from a strike," Carson wrote. The Bristers realize they won't benefit financially in the short term by the strike but say they've got to keep in mind the long-term impact of signing the contract as is. Carol Brister pointed to things the Machinists would lose, including survivor benefits on pension plans and satisfactory wage increases for members in between minimum and maximum rates in their pay grade. "A lot of people like us saw through the carrot -- the bonuses -- and realized we were going to lose a lot more in the end," she said. Reporter Michelle Dunlop: 425-339-3454 or mdunlop@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Log in or register to post new comment | Log out Standing strong on the takeaways This contract, while much touted in the media by Boeing, falls far short of ensuring that workers will be able to keep up w/ the rate of inflation, (since they are already working in a deficit situation). We deserve to have our last quarter COLA-since we already lost one COLA this year, striking that from the contract was wrong, wrong, wrong! (our union leaders never should have agreed to it). We deserve a better COLA percentage, and we deserve at least a 5/5/5 annual wage increase. We deserve the same incentive plan as other employees and we shouldn't have to wait until 2010 to see any benefit. We deserve the same 75 cent VIP match-what the company is offering makes us feel like second class citizens. The company's position that they are are offering 3 different healthcare plans including a "no cost" plan is a fallacy. That "no cost" means only, no monthly premiums, but it still raises deductables and copays and their idiotic "generic only" drug clause is completely unfair! The fact that they were allowed to flip two of the healthcare plans in mid-contract never should have been allowed. Their position that they should be allowed to take away survivorship benefits from the pensions is wrong as is doing away w/ pensions and retiree medical for new hires. They need to understand that we want our jobs to be here for a long time and we're tired of watching them continue to bring in sub-contractors. The LOU language will allow them to continue just that! We deserve respect and we deserve to benefit from the company's good fortune. We work hard, are exposed to chemical hazards, work around high energy unprotected, often very long hours in cramped areas, forced to become contortionists, we end up w/ mandatory OT and have little opportunity to be w/ our families. The fact that some in the engineering group are now benefiting from our strike by being allowed to work on shipping parts to customers is wrong and will drive a further wedge of aniomosity between the groups. Boeing, listen to what we are saying. WE WILL WORK FOR YOU, WILL WORK HARD AND WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD THE BEST AND SAFEST PLANES IN THE WORLD, BUT YOU NEED TO LET US SHARE THE WEALTH AND THE GOOD TIMES AS WELL, NOT JUST THROW A MOLDY BONE OUR WAY. CC At the Big B | Sep 7, 2008 6:34 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal Put it back! Medical? Put it back the way it was! Fact is the signing bonus barley covers the new premiums after taxes. Retirement? Put it back the way it was and fund the blue collars this time! Stop trying to divide the membership and stiffing the new guys with something backed by the stock market. $46 million for the Executive pension fund, but you can't afford 1 red cent for the guys that generated that money? Cost of living adjustments? Put it back the way it was! Fact is the last adjustment isn't figured into the new raise. That alone accounts for the $2500 signing bonus. $2.28 raise for the bottom rung and no one else? Fact: This is the first raise in the base pay scale after 16 years and it's for the bottom rung only? You gotta be kidding! Keep American Jobs in America. Stop outsourcing to outside vendors. Where is your patriotism and morality? Evidently there isn't any in business. Don't give me the "to be competitive" line. The only real competitor is Airbus. If we have quality customers will buy our planes just as they always have. McNearny makes more in 2 hours than the average employee ($27/hr) makes in 1 year and 2 months. Boeing is out for executive's greed. Were out for our families. Think on it. Aaron Taht | Sep 7, 2008 5:41 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal

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