On the picket line
By
Sue Davis
Published Sep 30, 2005 10:59 PM
Boeing machinists win—in record time!
It took 18,300
machinists only 24 days to force Boeing to fork over a three-year contract
without givebacks. That’s the quickest settlement that the largest U.S.
commercial jet manufacturer has made in four decades with its largest union. The
contract, negotiated by the Machinists and Aerospace Workers, faces a vote on
Sept. 29.
When the machinists shut down production Sept. 2 in Washington,
Oregon and Kansas, Boeing CEO Alan Mulally bellyached that the two sides were
“miles apart.” He even called the union’s demands
“extreme.” Labor analysts fretted that if the strike failed it could
be a setback for labor comparable to the air-traffic controllers’ strike
in 1981.
Why didn’t that happen? Because Boeing, whose income last
year was $1.9 billion, couldn’t bear to lose its stake in the strongest
commercial aircraft market in five years. It desperately needed the machinists
to keep planes rolling down the runway.
United under the union’s
slogan of “No takeaways, no sellouts,” the workers demanded $1
billion more than Boeing’s initial offer. “We took a pretty rough
contract [in 2002] because times were tough, with the expectation that when
things got better, we’d get a lot more,” said parts marker James
Darrah.
“But now times are good for Boeing. Its stock price is
double what it was three years ago.” (New York Times, Sept. 13) In fact,
last year Boeing’s profits were more than triple its profits in 2002.
In the three-year contract Boeing agreed not to increase premiums or
deductibles in the workers’ health plan, to increase the pension
multiplier to $70 a month for every year worked (up from $66) and to drop its
earlier demands that new hires not receive retiree health benefits and that
machinists in Kansas receive lower pay than other workers. It also agreed to
give workers a 1 percent annual cost-of-living increase and to make cash
payments to each worker of $4,800 the first year and $3,000 in each of the next
two years.
Industry analysts admit that Boeing had to yield to the
workers or risk losing a lot more if the strike dragged on. Even so, 30 plane
deliveries will be delayed because of the strike. Some predict this contract
could be a blueprint for Boeing’s 12,650 engineers and 5,700 technical
workers, whose contracts are due to expire in early December.
Others say
the workers’ victory is empowering for all labor. That would be a welcome
trend!
Bus drivers stage one-day strike
Fed up because
Capital Metro wants to pay new hires 16 percent less than current drivers, bus
drivers in Austin, Texas, staged a surprise one-day unfair labor practices
strike on Sept. 22. Metro management had to scramble to keep 17 of 80 bus lines
operating, but was able to provide only reduced service.
Several hundred
Transit Union Local 1091 drivers picketed Metro headquarters with fight-back
signs and chants demanding a fair contract. Their last one expired in June.
Local 1091 President Jay Wyatt explained that the union called the strike for
one day to minimize the public’s pain, but the union was prepared to do it
again and again with no notice if Metro refused to bargain in good faith.
Articles copyright 1995-2012 Workers World.
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email:
[email protected]
Subscribe
[email protected]
Support independent news
DONATE