TemplarKormac
Political Atheist
Labor Unions in the private sector are dwindling away, and their influence is waning. As we all no doubt witnessed in Wisconsin on June of 2012, the failure to recall Scott Walker sounded the death knell of private sector unions in America. It appears jobs are more important than the profit. Now, Boeing may have dealt the final blow, winning a scathing contract fight with it's machinists union in Washington over the construction of the Boeing 777X aircraft.
Boeing machinists OK contract tied to 777X | Local & Regional | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News
SEATTLE (AP) - Boeing machinists narrowly approved a contract Friday that concedes some benefits in order to secure assembly of the new 777X airplane for the Puget Sound region, solidifying the aerospace giant's presence in the Seattle area for years to come.
The issue fractured the union and drew unusual pleas from politicians who said the deal was necessary to support the area's economic future. Boeing has been exploring the prospect of building the 777X elsewhere, a move that could trigger a steady exodus of aerospace jobs from the place where Boeing was founded.
"Tonight, Washington state secured its future as the aerospace capital of the world," Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said late Friday night.
Boeing quickly hailed the eight-year contract extension, affirming that under its terms, the 777X and its composite wing will be built in the Puget Sound area by Boeing employees represented by the Machinists union.
"Thanks to this vote by our employees, the future of Boeing in the Puget Sound region has never looked brighter," Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Ray Conner said in a statement. "We're proud to say that together, we'll build the world's next great airplane-the 777X and its new wing - right here. This will put our workforce on the cutting edge of composite technology, while sustaining thousands of local jobs for years to come."
Local officials of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers had urged their 30,000 members to oppose the deal, arguing that the proposal surrendered too much at a time of company profitability. They had opposed taking a vote at all but were overruled by national leaders in the Machinists union.
Tina Shrader, a Boeing worker for eight years, said she was voting no.
"I don't want to mess with my pension. I'm here for my paycheck and for my pension," Shrader said.
Bob Dennis, an inspector at Boeing for six years, said he was voting for the contract because it represented the best chance to keep the 777X jobs in Washington state.
"I don't think Boeing had to come back to the table. We forced them that way. But at the same time, I think this is our last opportunity to keep those jobs in the state," he said.
The announcement that the contract had passed with 51 percent of the vote was somber.
"Our members have spoken and having said that, this is the course we'll take," Jim Bearden, administrative assistant for Machinists District 751, said in announcing the results. "No member liked this vote or the position we were put in by the company, nor was it any easy vote for anyone to cast."
Bearden, speaking in place of District 751 President Tom Wroblewski, who has been ill, also took a dig at "the politicians, the media and others" who had "no right to get into our business."
Boeing machinists OK contract tied to 777X | Local & Regional | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News
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