The Boeing contract for over 32,000 workers in Washington and Oregon expires next month, and workers have voted to sanction a strike. Their complaints include low pay, frozen pensions, and mismanagement that has resulted in deadly disasters for the company.
  • @[email protected]English
    42•3 months ago

    “It’s driving people insane, ten- to twelve-hour days, nineteen days in a row,” said Voss, a senior steward. “It’s exhausting people, to the point we’ve had people pass out at work.”

    Starting pay at Everett is around $19, while nearby Seattle’s minimum wage is $19.95. “There’s a retailer right across the street from one of the factories that says ‘We’ll pay you more than Boeing,’” said Voss.

    Now, all the problems Boeing are having lately make sense. They’ve cut absolutely everything to the bone to increase shareholder value at the cost of the stability of their company. The lax safety standards are just a symptom of a much larger problem.

    • @[email protected]English
      21•3 months ago

      Their executives determined, probably correctly, they can massively mismanage their company to save a buck and then get bailed out by Uncle Sam cause they’re too important to fail.

    • Semi-Hemi-LemmygodEnglish
      15•3 months ago

      “It’s exhausting people, to the point we’ve had people pass out at work.”

      That must do wonders for the quality of their work.

      • @halcyoncmdrEnglish
        7•3 months ago

        I mean we’ve seen the quality in action. That quality is what the whistleblowers have been coming forwards about.

    • Pistcow
      9•3 months ago

      There are machines going unmanned with offers constantly being rejected because $19/hr is bullshit when the fast food joint across the street is $23/hr. Oooh but after 4-5 years youll be making $45/hr.

      Ok but youre giving up $40k for the first 5 years. Boeing cant compete with MacDonald’s and theyre unwilling to.

    • @Wogi
      6•3 months ago

      More per hour.

      Sadly a lot of these guys will put up with the crushing hours because they need the overtime money to make ends meet. 95 cents works out to about 115 dollars a month before taxes.

      19 bucks an hour for 19 days…

      15 of those days are 8 hours of straight time each, about 2300 dollars. There are approximately 90 hours remaining of overtime at at least time and a half, some of which is almost certainly double time, but even if it isn’t, is 2500 dollars. Almost 5000 dollars in 3 weeks, verses the 2400 dollars they’d make at the department store for the entire month.