Summary
Boeing’s unionized machinists voted to approve a revised contract, ending a seven-week strike that had stalled plane production.
The contract includes a 38% wage increase over four years, a $12,000 bonus, and enhanced 401K contributions, though it doesn’t restore pensions—a key issue for workers.
The agreement follows earlier rejected offers and marks a turning point after union leaders urged ratification, citing potential risks of future regressive offers.
The strike had halted production of Boeing’s 737 models, contributing to Boeing’s recent $6.1 billion quarterly loss amidst ongoing safety concerns and federal scrutiny.
I chatted with Boeing strikers about this.
The contract proposal was announced on Halloween, with the strikers getting contract details in a conference call that night (while many were either out trick or treating with their kids or otherwise having fun). The vote was scheduled for Monday, the day before a massively monumental election.
They didn’t get the pensions they wanted most. This entire thing was timed for maximum anxiety and distraction.
Pensions are dead, sadly.
See? It isn’t that people don’t want to work, it is that people don’t want to get exploited.
But you wouldn’t know it…
Congratulations, machinists! Solidarity is the best way to beat these fuckers!