Striking Boeing workers set to vote on latest offer

NEW YORK – Striking workers at Boeing will vote on Monday on the aerospace giant’s latest contract proposal to end a bruising walkout that has dragged on for more than seven weeks.
The vote by some 33,000 machinists in the Pacific Northwest could pave the way for production to resume at two Seattle-area factories that build the 737 MAX and 777 aircraft after workers voted down two previous offers.
Chief Executive Kelly Ortberg has implored strikers to ratify the deal.
“I know the strike has been difficult for you as well as for our customers, suppliers, communities and all who work at Boeing,” Ortberg said in a message to employees.
“It’s time we all come back together and focus on rebuilding the business and delivering the world’s best airplanes. There are a lot of people depending on us.”
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 751 has been on strike since September 13, adding to Boeing’s woes amid heightened regulatory scrutiny of production and quality control following safety lapses.
Facing a cash crunch, the aviation giant also launched a stock offering last week that raised more than $20-billion.
Boeing’s latest proposal for its workers includes a 38 percent wage increase over the four years of the contract, up from a 35 percent hike in the prior proposal and closer to the 40 percent initially sought by the union.
The proposal also allows IAM members to take a $12,000 bonus as an immediate cash payment rather than splitting the funds between a $7,000 immediate payment and a $5,000 contribution to their 401K retirement plans.
Jon Holden, head of the Seattle union, urged members to “lock in” the contract’s gains in a message on the group’s website.
“You can confidently declare victory, vote yes for this agreement and build on this for generations to come,” Holden said. “Your entire bargaining committee believes it is time to settle this strike and move forward.”
The IAM’s explicit support marks a shift from its stance on the previous contract offer, which the union said was worthy of bringing to a vote but did not endorse.
Holden’s stance comes after Ortberg personally participated in the latest negotiations, telling the IAM this would be the final contract offer before the company starts reversing earlier concessions, according to a report in the Seattle Times.
On September 12, members overwhelmingly rejected an offer of a 25 percent raise over four years. A second offer, which promised a 35 percent pay raise, was rejected by nearly two-thirds of members on October 23.
The latest contract proposal requires the company to boost contributions to employee 401K plans but does not reinstate the old pension plan after a 2014 contract eliminated the program for new employees.