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Aerospace Blog
October 1, 2008

 
 

Should Boeing Machinists’ leaders receive pay during strike?


Posted at 7:04 am by Michelle Dunlop

It’s day 26 of the strike, and the union leaders are still receiving a paycheck.

Each morning when I’ve written about the Boeing Machinists, and sometimes when I have not, I get the same voice message on my phone. The same reader calls each time with the same complaint: he’s not getting a paycheck during the strike and thinks that union leaders should give up their pay. And he's not the only Machinist who thinks that way.

I asked Machinists’ spokeswoman Connie Kelliher about this last week. She pointed out that Machinists’ leaders negotiate dozens of contracts, meaning they’re at risk of seeing more than the one strike every three years that most members face. Union officials also are still working full time while the 27,000 Boeing Machinists are out on strike. As frequently as I’ve called Kelliher in the last three weeks, I can tell you that much is true.

On Monday, district president Tom Wroblewski posted this update to the Machinists’ Web site:



Union leaders also are talking daily with the federal mediator, should negotiations with Boeing resume. And they keep strike operations going, coordinating with BECU on ways to aid strikers, cutting strike checks, visiting the picket lines.

But Machinists members, obviously, aren't getting paid during the strike.

Machinists, what do you think? Should union leaders receive pay during the strike?

Post your comments below or send me an e-mail.
READER COMMENTS
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From a reader ...
One reader writes:

I haven't received a paycheck for a month now and I am anxious to go back to work...I think the "leaders" would be more willing to go back to the negotiating table if they felt our pain...There is no way I am going to go down with the Union the way Northwest Airline mechanics, Air Traffic Controllers, MLB Umpires or any other work group that was left out to hang by their Union"leaders".
Note to Union leaders...The economy is struggling, Wall Street is tanking, get ... back to the table!!
Michelle Dunlop | Oct 1, 2008 2:32 pm | 1 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal
reality
The IAM leaders get paid while you guys walk in a line? You have got to be kidding me.
We are in one of the worst financial economies since the depression. Airlines are going bankrupt. Bankrupt airlines can't buy planes no matter how many orders they have placed. Boeing will not be making large profits the next 3 years.
It has been 1 month since the strike. How much will the monthly COBRA payment be? Will the $150/wk strike pay cover that for a family of 4?
Is the offer really going to get any better than the one that was refused? And when will negotiations begin? How much money, mortgage payments and food are the workers willing to lose?
jsquared | Oct 4, 2008 11:29 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal
Strike Nonsense...
I read a couple of comments on this article and I am completely appalled by some of the responses. First off, let me start by saying that we aren't on strike because we are greedy and just want more more more. We are strike because a company that has made $13 Billion dollars (NOW THAT IS $13,000,000,000) profit is actually trying to take benefits away from us that we already had on the last contract. To be honest with you, they could have offered the same contract as the last one and it would have been better than what they are trying to offer now. It irritates the crap out of me when people start to actually get nasty about this strike... especially since they are so obviously misinformed. It is also obvious to me that "Cindy" is not a machinist... and I think it is unfair for her to make a wide sweeping judgement that there are people that work at Boeing that didn't actually know what they were voting for. Cindy, believe it or not, but there are people that work at Boeing that have minds of their own.
This strike isn't easy on anyone. Instead of getting angry with the employees, you should realize that the Boeing company is the reason that other companies are having trouble right now, and it is them that refuse to be fair. They would rather lose $100 Million a day than just be fair with the people that have made their company their fortune.
Bryan Koorstad | Oct 3, 2008 7:10 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal
Reader comment
From Cindy:

Poor Union Workers,

A good amount of people in the Machinists Union are not even machinists, and should not be voting to begin with. There are also many uneducated workers in this Machinists Union who were not even intelligent enough to comprehend their contract negotiations. If they would have comprehended what they were being offered , most may not have voted to strike.

It was the Union Leaders that “lead them” throughout the whole process. The Union Leaders knew that there own income would not be in jeopardy. They never have anything to loose during strikes. They use the younger union people as their leverage to greediness.

I would also like to say that this strike has not only affected the lives of the Boeing employees but many other people in the same industry have already suffered because of it.

To go on strike when the our economy is in such a bad state is not only an ignorant and selfish action, it is a clear case of greed. All of the Union workers should learn from their “Leaders”. It’s too late to whine about who’s getting what now.

Live with your decisions, it’s getting cold outside.
Michelle Dunlop | Oct 2, 2008 2:45 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal
(No heading)
I understand that they are fighting for us and they are "earning" their pay...although I think it's likely a lot more than I would be willing to pay them.
Rather than the multiple, costly "rallies" they had, the family day in July at the Strike sanction vote, all the little baubles, flyers and posters they handed out leading up to the strike vote, I think they should have padded the coffers so they could pay us a bit more each week. $150 a week is not going to pay our bills or protect us from foreclosure if this strike goes on long. We are already doing some temp. work and will be looking for more.
I believe our leadership has failed us in some ways, most especially by kowtowing to politicians and endorsing them, when they have no right to speak for me in that arena. They are here to represent me and fight for a decent contract.
Perhaps, if they were having their wages cut until a contract was signed, then given an adequate bonus for achieving that decent contract, then they would be more apt to push a little harder to get the company back to the table. But we would then run the risk of them negotiating crap and asking us to ratify it. So, we're kind of stuck between a rock and hard place. I do know that when re-election of officers comes around again, I will be hard pressed to support Wrobleski or endorse Blondin's efforts at the national level if they don't bring us back a good contract! They already angered many by allowing the last minute reprieve that the esteemed governor herself requested! That will not be forgotten by the rank and file.
This company is an important fixture in the NW and this state needs decent paying jobs. I don't know how else cities and counties expect to float their infrastructures, schools, and projects if everyone ends up working minimum wage jobs!
CC At the Big B | Oct 1, 2008 3:02 pm | 1 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal
Union Leaders Pay
Of course they deserve to be paid, they are still doing their jobs and a hell of a lot more than just 8 hours a day!!

To the crack smoker who didn't even have the guts to put his own comments on the page but had to have michelle dunlop post it for him, "PUT DOWN THE CRACK PIPE AND GET BEHIND YOUR LEADERSHIP!!!!!!! OR better yet, log on to iam751.org and check out the updates. Our leadership is in contact with the federal mediator every single day assuring them that the 751 team is ready to get back to the table at a moments notice. Anytime and anywhere.

Have you seen any statements like that from the Boeing team?? Of course not, because they are still trying to force a substandard contract down our throats and because carson & kight refuse to admit what miserable failures they have made out of these negotiations!! We are not going back to work until the company achieves their goals and needs us back. The company wanted this strike and will prolong it as long as it suits their goals. Period.

So buckle up for the long haul, quit crying about what union leaders are getting and make sure you do your picket duty. Or go work for airbus in alabama!!
J Marchant | Oct 2, 2008 11:24 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal
Union Leaders Salary while on Strike
While it makes great sense to build solidarity with the members not to draw salary while on strike as a union leader. It also makes great sense to pay them. If they receive criticism for selling out the members, how much more would they be willing to sell us out if they weren't being paid? I don't want to go there. Its unfair to lump all into a category like that.

Since they ARE working, federal law mandates they are to be paid as every other regular employee.

But what they could do and many have proposed before is to voluntarily donate their salary and live on the per-diem expense money, or if that was to aggressive, donate the expense per-capita of $35 a day instead.

This topic is a great issue for he next union election but not to beneficial right now.

As a past candidate and union officer myself, I see the greater danger of people not participating in our union by voting. Each contract we hear the complaints about various issues in our union. People ask to me to run for office. I say no way.... why....because the emotion of today will pass and three years from now no one will remember that frustration enough to go vote. People will get up to vote on their pocket book, but democracy issues members have a hard time connecting the dots back to their pocket books.

The facts are on average only 5% to 10% of the overall membership vote in union elections period, that's why change is so very hard to come by. Its the insiders who cast the largest share of votes in normal run of the mill elections, couple that with block or compulsory voting requirements in the IAM and it gets real tough fast in union politics to win.

What is important right now and what will win this strike at Boeing is for all members to remain unified and not distract ourselves with side issues too much.

Boeing has already lost 1.3 Billion in net profit according to the Seattle times. This amount FAR exceeds the 100 Million or so we are on the street for, so Boeing's argument about competitiveness is basically horse pucky. How much is 100 million of 13 Billion in profit. Thats what the strike is about, less than 1% point.

We can do it, its our time this time. Remember WE GOT THE POWER, our vote! Great question BTW.
Don Grinde | Oct 2, 2008 7:05 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal
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