Boeing is up to its neck in problems, facing three things: a powerful strike, a mounting pile of production and financial troubles and anger over Boeing’s rôle as a producer of weapons used against Palestine and the Arab World. There is a growing outcry against the company for its anti-labor attacks and its genocidal role in the war on the people of Palestine. People are protesting Boeing worldwide.
District 751 Local I President Bruce McFarland said: “What do the Boeing Machinists want? It’s simple. We want what was taken from us 10 years ago when we were pressured into a contract that took away our pension, forced us into a stagnating wage package and raised our medical bills.” (Seattle Times, Oct. 11)
The previous contract, when the union made concessions, has meant that entry level workers are barely making $21 an hour. McFarland described an avalanche of Boeing and state government maneuvers and threats which essentially forced a regressive contract down the workers’ throats. This included a wholesale moving of much of Boeing airplane production from Seattle to a non-union plant in South Carolina.
This was a stinging defeat for the Machinists, but now they are back on their feet to fight again — like so many other workers.
With negotiations at an impasse, Boeing has announced job cuts affecting 10% of its workforce. These cuts are company-wide and involve supervisory as well as hourly workers.