Boeing workers start vote on latest offer to end strike
Al Jazeera
If workers reject Boeing’s offer for a third time, it will plunge the firm into further financial peril, uncertainty.
Unionised factory workers at Boeing are voting on whether to accept a contract offer or to continue their strike, which has lasted more than seven weeks and shut down production of most Boeing passenger planes.
A vote to ratify the contract on Monday, the eve of Election Day, would clear the way for the major United States manufacturer and government contractor to resume aeroplane production. If members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers vote to reject Boeing’s offer for a third time, it will plunge the aerospace giant into further financial peril and uncertainty.
In its latest proposed contract, Boeing is offering pay raises of 38 percent over four years, plus ratification and productivity bonuses. IAM District 751, representing Boeing workers in the US Pacific Northwest, endorsed the proposal, which is slightly more generous than the machinists voted down nearly two weeks ago.
“It is time for our members to lock in these gains and confidently declare victory,” the district leaders said in scheduling Monday’s vote. “We believe asking members to stay on strike longer wouldn’t be right as we have achieved so much success.”
Union officials said they think they have gotten all they can through negotiations and a strike and that if the current proposal is rejected, future offers from Boeing might be worse. They expect to announce the result of the vote late Monday.
