Posted on 12/15/2013 3:31:09 PM PST by Hojczyk
If the Machinists union and Boeing could agree to a contract deal, Washington state would secure decades of work fabricating the 777X airliner’s advanced wing and assembling the jet here. Yet the union is divided and in turmoil over what the company calls its best and final offer.
Two distinct, passionate arguments boiled up among the 31,000 local Machinists after their leaders Thursday rejected the revised offer.
One vocal faction, including the local leadership, is dug in, unwilling to give up its hard-won gains from the past by making concessions on pay and benefits.
Another group, including officials from the national headquarters, fears massive job losses within a decade and is ready to endorse the eight-year contract extension to ensure future work.
“People are really looking at this as a make-or-break situation,” said Adam Subitch, 27, a painter on the 777 line in Everett with nearly seven years at Boeing. “This is our livelihood we are talking about. ... People are scared.”
Subitch has his first baby on the way and said that to protect his career and his nascent family’s future, he wants the opportunity to vote yes on the rejected offer.
“A lot of people are angry,” said Subitch. “A lot of us would appreciate the chance to choose our own future.”
On the other end of the age and experience spectrum is Wilson Ferguson, 58, who’s been working at Boeing almost since Subitch was born. The 26-year company veteran, who is president of the union’s Local A and works as a 737 delivery mechanic at Boeing Field, led a militant rally a month ago calling for a no vote on Boeing’s first 777X contract offer. Union members rejected that contract by 2 to 1.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.com ...
Yea and I’ll bet that Subitch does more work in a week than Ferguson does all year.
I fail to see how that is somehow unfair.
The big unions all seem determined to commit economic suicide.
My sense from reading this is that the very liberal Seattle Times is worried that Boeing will move out to saner locations.
Unions and governmental regulations killed American manufacturing.
Now, here comes an opportunity to return some manufacturing to America and the Union parasites still want to feed on the carcass what remains of American manufacturing.
Unions = socialists = communists.
Indeed.
New hire management-types have been reduced in pay and benefits for a few years now. (Ex: No pension and only a 401k now).
About time the unions backed-off.
(Though the senior VPs and Presidents of business units haven’t suffered at all. . .would do wonders for all Boeing workers at all levels if the ‘senior’ leaders shared the pain a little.)
Work flows to the competent unless the competent work at avoiding displays of competence.
IMHO Boeing was retarded to move HQ to Chicago of all places.
Hurry up and move to SC.
Interesting story in the WSJ about how difficult it’s gonna be for all the outfits that have to pay the new $15/hr min wage up there.
If the Boeing contract is similar to the UAW auto contract post bk, you could have Tier 2 Boeing employees quitting to work in a coffee shop for more money.
Well they didn't do it for better weather, lower cost of living, or lower taxes, so SOMEBODY got a good deal SOMEWHERE....
It doesn’t sound to me like Boeing is in a hard place.
They made their offer and the union is the one that
is cutting it’s own throat.
From what I understand the Seattle workers are the most competent based on re-work of thirty to forty percent they have to do from other plants across the nation.
But there is a big contingent of lazy and incompetent workers in Seattle, too. Unions tend to breed attract that kind of person.
Unions = organized crime = collectivists (Dems, Socialists, Commies, et al).
The reason they moved HQ out of Seattle was to separate themselves from the unions.
Not for long. The next step will be to revoke pension plans for existing employees.
Lotta people on this forum worship the managers. Might just be me, but I fail to see how a frat rat lawyer from Yale (Clinton buddy) is worth $20 million a year at Boeing - starting "compensation" from just a few years ago - but 30 year Engineers and technical workers are getting subjected to takebacks.
It ain't like the reputation of the place was built on it's incredible Legal team.
And the IAM people aren't idiots. They've seen this before: the company threatens to move all the work elsewhere.
Right. That should work real well. Let's move the factory to South Succotash, hire the locals who have zero experience, and everything will just go ducky building a certificated Part 25 airplane.
Good luck with that. Seeya in 10 years.
The company is just playing hardball and so is the IAM.
“said Adam Subitch, 27, a painter,,”
Hmmmm....
I wonder what his nickname is?
Gee, Ya think?
Google "Mike Sears" "Darleen Druyun" and "Boeing" to see just what kinda fun the management there engages in
My brief experience in a union environment many years ago echos this. It was only the older, high seniority guys (many of whom weren't worth what they were getting paid) who were the most radical.
The younger guys were mostly glad to have a good job. The older ones were full of resentment and bitterness.
Know of them, and they left over a decade ago.
However, most CURRENT presidents (one in particular) are cold and evil when it comes to selfishness.
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