IAM Ratifies Boeing Deal Ending Strike
November 2nd, 2008
IAM Votes To End Strike By 74%
SPEEA Talks Continue
The IAM union voted on the contract tabled by Boeing with a 74% margin in favour of accepting the deal and resuming work, ending the two-month old industrial dispute.
“Our Union has delivered what few Americans have - economic certainty and quality benefits for the next four years. Each of you stood up and did your part to win this battle,” said District 751 President Tom Wroblewski.
“This contract gives the workers at Boeing an opportunity to share in the extraordinary success this Company has achieved over the past several years,” said Aerospace Coordinator Mark Blondin.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Scott Carson was equally upbeat and seemingly relieved that this major episode had now been resolved, albeit much later than anyone would have imagined.
Image courtesy of Boeing
“The new contract addresses the union’s job security issues while enabling Boeing to retain the flexibility needed to run the business. It rewards employees for their contribution to our success with industry-leading pay and benefits and allows us to remain competitive.
Our company and its people have always faced tough issues head-on. While the strike has been difficult for everyone, our challenge now is to restart our production and regain our momentum,” he said.
Some production staff are possibly returning to work as soon as November 2nd, others on November 3rd, 2008.
Getting back to pre-strike output levels is likely to take several weeks, and will be hampered by the annual festive season where production winds down. Also, the ongoing contract talks with SPEEA will prove critical to reinstating production.
One major analyst has already sounded out a warning shot to the unions at Boeing.
“After [this contract], they’d better save for the future,” said Richard Aboulafia.
“These are the last jobs of their kind. Good salary, good pension and good benefits and no university degree required.”
Only time will tell what, where and how Boeing manages its next new airplane programme- for now, recovery of the 7-series production remains critical - customers have waited patiently for their airplanes, delivering as many of these as possible will be the near-term focus for all involved.
(Prior articles on the Boeing/IAM/SPEEA strike/discussions can be found by clicking these links here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.)
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20 Comments Add your own
1. Jet Jockey | November 2nd, 2008 at 7:20 am
Richard Aboulafia is a Boeing puppet.
He can kiss my @$$.
2. Jon | November 2nd, 2008 at 7:28 am
“These are the last jobs of their kind. Good salary, good pension and good benefits and no university degree required.”
But you have to fight tooth and nail for respect. These jobs take many years to get right. And yes there are many classes to take to get to the world class workers we are. This is not an easy job; lots of stress and lack of respect from management.
For some strange reason, those who have never worked here, seem to think it’s like flipping burgers or doing retail-if that were true, we would have long ago been replaced.
So Im tired of hearing the statement above. Yes we have good jobs, doesn’t mean Management is some how superior, seems to me there arrogance is there main flaw.
I would take real life over any degree-anytime. What they teach you in school usually never applies in the real world anyway.
Just look at wall street……..
3. Angel/MT-4 | November 2nd, 2008 at 7:48 am
I wish to take this time to thank Saj and all those at FleetBuzz for providing these message boards and for keeping us all well informed on current Boeing topics. Your articles were great to read, the pictures and interviews were awesome, and participating on these boards with a variety of different individuals was quite interesting.
Good Job FleetBuzz, and Good Luck to all of us at Boeing!
4. Angel/MT-4 | November 2nd, 2008 at 7:51 am
Typo- “Good Job”..sorry..lol.
5. FleetBuzz Editorial.com | November 2nd, 2008 at 7:54 am
Fixed the typo for you Angel
6. Angel/MT-4 | November 2nd, 2008 at 7:55 am
Ty
7. aircraft_painter | November 2nd, 2008 at 8:30 am
Jon - well said. Funny how I’ve been doing my job at Boeing for close to 20 years, but I still have to take an off hour (on my own time) 80 hour class just to have the oppertunity to be considered for an upgrade in the skills I’ve been using for 19.75 years. Just because some “only” have high school educations doesn’t mean any high school graduate could do the work!
8. Evamonky | November 2nd, 2008 at 9:25 am
Jon and Aircraft_Painter,
Excellent points guys.
Like so many other of the trades, it’s hard for people to understand without doing it. People are accustomed to desk jobs now. Anything where you work with your hands (and not typing) is almost considered barbaric.
It’s crazy the way some people think…. I personally don’t want to fly in a plane that’s built by someone willing to do it for the lowest amount of money.
There’s no respect for building something ’till it gets built wrong.
9. mike j | November 2nd, 2008 at 9:39 am
Was “This Our Time This Time”?–
NO it wasn’t! What a crock!
What a stupid slogan!
Heaven help us in four more years.
I agree with bloggers 2 and 7 about the “education-issue”, it takes many YEARS to really make a good Airliner Mechanic regardless of prior schooling, and to learn all the details.
And no outside school prepares you for Boeing’s Mismanagement blunders which constantly drives many of us batty, and why we needed a break from them.
If we could just get Boeing Management to ever act sane, and stop with the con-games, the politics, the manipulation, etc etc etc…
I would strike over that!
10. sleepless | November 2nd, 2008 at 10:12 am
Richard Aboulafia doesn’n know what it takes to build airplanes, he’s just an analyst with no common sense.
11. Aurora | November 2nd, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Seventy four percent voted to go back to work? 3 to 1? Seems like folks wanted to go back to work!
Would someone from the union point out to those of us who are not affiliated with the union or company in any way exactly what was gained by striking for 50+ days? In other words, what was gained by striking that would not have been gained by accepting Boeing’s best and final offer before the strike?
12. Pete | November 2nd, 2008 at 1:53 pm
The sheep won the day. They finally had the company where they wanted them, but were too worried about going a few more weeks and caved.
Boeing recieved quite a gift with the economy tanking right when the strike started. Not that that has hurt Boeing, which has gained orders since then, but it scared most of the workers into being glad they had a job which Boeing p.r. was more than glad to point out.
13. Jon | November 2nd, 2008 at 2:46 pm
My thanks also to FleetBuzz. Jon
To the one who posted about why we striked for two months. “RESPECT”.
You would have to work there to understand.
And a fair wage. Inflation is eating the middle class alive. I realize that Boeing is not responsible for this, but seems that no one is willing to hold Washington DC accountable.
THATS YOU THE VOTER!
14. Whoopie | November 2nd, 2008 at 3:16 pm
I am sad to have to go back to the abuse that is constant by management. I have never had a job that moral was so low.
15. roger | November 2nd, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Mr. Aboulafia offers good advice. Start saving. He should have added that you should sell your house at the next opportunity. You can rent until you are forced out of Washington to find work. No one will be buying houses later when there are no jobs.
If the union wants to serve its members, it should start planning the concessions that it will make to Boeing to keep the work where it is. Of course that wont happen because todays unions are nothing more than protection rackets.
Anyone that thinks Boeing needs them better do some soul searching. You have 74% ready to go back to work after a few weeks without a paycheck. When the jobs are gone, that same 74% plus another 20% will be following Boeing (or its new suppliers ) to where the jobs are. If you want to impress your new employers, be sure to display your IAM credentials proudly on your resume.
16. george | November 2nd, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Hey Roger, search your own soul, I doubt you know anymore about our future then we do. Oh and by the way this contract or anything else involving the IAM probably doesn’t involve you anyway, so take your snide remarks and your obvious jealousy and cram them.
17. Whoopie | November 2nd, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Get a life Roger. You dont have a clue just like the rest of us and Boeing will probably try and blame the IAM if they leave but I’m sure that wont be the reason. The only reason Boeing does anything anymore is Corporate Greed.
18. roger | November 2nd, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Unions are putting companies out of business left and right across the United States. You guys would have been better off taking the first offer and working with Boeing and not going to war with them. You need them much more than they need you.
They’re not your enemy, they are the ones signing your paycheck. It doesnt say IAM anywhere on the check. How can you guys be so damn stupid and keep playing the “them against us” game.
And the contract settlement does affect me. It will give me a nice raise the next time my contract comes up for negotiation. I dont deserve it any more than you do, but thanks anyhow.
19. Trike | November 2nd, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Now we can talk about something else.
Let’s see the 787 and 748 get into the sky now.
20. Aurora | November 2nd, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Roger: “They’re not your enemy. . . .”
I agree 100%. As I’ve noted before, your real enemy is in Toulouse.
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