Boeing Co. Machinists get their contract groove on

Published 9:13 pm Wednesday, November 7, 2007

It’s never too early to rally the troops when you’re facing a tough opponent.

The roughly 22,000 Machinists who build Boeing Co. jets in the Puget Sound region are gearing up for contract talks with the aerospace giant next year.

Local leaders the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers are doing more than just encouraging their members to wear union T-shirts on Wednesdays. They’re talking the tough talk.

In his monthly column, Tom Wroblewski, district president of the Machinists, notes how he has made the rounds, asking Machinists from Everett to Frederickson what they want out of the union’s next three-year deal with Boeing. Benefits look to be a big deal again (see below).

But wages and benefits aren’t all that are on the Machinists’ minds. Ever since Boeing outsourced major sections of its 787, the union has put in its plug to “bring it back.” The union has new ammo on this front.

In October, Boeing delayed its Dreamliner program by six months due to parts shortages, supplier documentation mishaps and general confusion stemming from the new global production system. Last week, former 787 chief Mike Bair criticized unnamed major partners and said Boeing will look to a more centralized system for its next jet program.

“If Boeing had left the building of the airplane to the experts (our members), they would not be in the mess they are today. Instead, our members are the ones who are correcting problems from the vendors, making installations the vendors had promised, and working the overtime to ensure the 787 is a success,” the Machinists’ Wroblewski wrote in November’s Aero Mechanic.

“The problems and delays could have been prevented if our members had built the plane. It is a message we will continue to deliver to Boeing, as well as the push to have the experts build more of that plane,” he continued.

The Machinists recently organized at 787 vendor Vought’s site in South Carolina. About 130 Vought employees, who build Dreamliner fuselage sections, belong to a Machinists bargaining unit.

“The message to Boeing is if they insist on offloading our work to non-Union suppliers, we will continue to organize them,” Wroblewski wrote.

In terms of benefits …

Machinists surveyed in October sent in these anonymous comments:

“Our vision benefits suck!”

“Dental coverage is inadequate.”

The Machinists staged a 28-day strike against Boeing during their last contract negotiations in 2005.