Heraldnet.com
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2008 6:23 pm
LocalNorthwestNation & WorldPoliticsSpecial ReportsPhotosColumnistsMultimedia 
RECENT POSTS:
Boeing Machinists: We're fighting for the middle class  October 15

Boeing-Machinists talks – a SPEEA scare tactic?  October 14

Negotiations fail: Did Boeing, Machinists return to talks too soon?   October 13

Boeing Machinists: Welcome to McNerneyville  October 11

Boeing Machinists strike: Life on the line  October 9

Archives:
LINKS:

Airbus
Airbus
EADS
Orders and Deliveries

Analysts
Richard Aboulafia
Scott Hamilton

Blogroll
FleetBuzz
IAG Blog
Randy Tinseth's blog

Flight museum
Future of Flight
Museum of Flight

Labor Group
International Association of Machinists
Local 751 Machinists
SPEEA

Tanker competition
Air Force
Boeing's KC-767 tanker
Boeing's tanker blog
Government Accountability Office
Northrop's America's New Tanker
Northrop-EADS' KC-30

The Boeing Co.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Employment
New Airplane
Orders and Deliveries
RELATED ARTICLES:
To Boeing's Machinists, job security still No. 1 issue   October 15
Turkish Air to order Boeing, Airbus jets   October 15
Boeing, union call off talks, no further negotiations set  October 14
Average gas price dips to $3.40 in state  October 14
Machinists union, Boeing return to talks  October 13
Boeing Machinists earn their $150 weekly strike check keeping the line fed,...  October 11
Passengers injured on 777 flight to Miami  October 10
Life on the strike line  October 10
Boeing, Machinists likely to resume talks this weekend  October 10
Around the clock: Machinists strike  October 9
Interactive
Special report
 

ADVERTISEMENT

Aerospace Blog


Kevin Nortz/The Herald (click to enlarge)
Boeing Co. Machinists gave their negotiators a preliminary OK for a strike later this year.
 
 

Machinists to Boeing: 'Nobody gets left behind'


Posted at 10:23 am by Michelle Dunlop

Boeing Co. Machinists did their best to put on a united front yesterday at a strike sanction vote. Ninety-nine percent of union members voted to give union leaders strike authority if things go sour during contract negotiations with Boeing late next month.

Mark Blondin, IAM aerospace coordinator, said that Boeing thinks current union members will "sell out" new hires. The aerospace company wants to eliminate pension plans for new workers and offer them a 401(k) plan instead.

“Nobody gets left behind in the Machinists union,” Blondin said.

On the topic of wages, district president Tom Wroblewski rallied union members by saying that Boeing’s chief executive Jim McNerney makes more in a few hours than a beginning Machinist will make in a year. Entry level pay – which can be as low as $12.72 an hour – has been a sore spot with the union for years.

Herald photographer Kevin Nortz put together a photo gallery from yesterday’s strike sanction.

Here are a few signs from the rally:

  • Manipulate stock, not us.

  • Show us the money!

  • No more cut$.

  • Pensions: Roar for more.

  • Tell Kight to go fly a kite.

READER COMMENTS
Be the first to comment.
You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet.

To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here.
Click here to see all Aerospace Blog comments
Log in or register to post new commentLog out
  Return to Aerospace Blog
TODAY'S TOP JOBS
 View All Top Jobs 
Top Cars
Top Homes


ADVERTISEMENT