EVERETT — Worker strikes at the Boeing Co. don’t just happen at a moment’s notice.
The aerospace company’s unions, such as its Machinists group, prepare weeks, if not months, in advance. It’s not that they want to strike, or even believe a work stoppage is likely, the Machinists say. But it’s best to be prepared.
“We do this every time no matter what negotiations look like,” said Connie Kelliher, spokeswoman for the Machinists. “You’re better off safe than sorry.”
With a month to go before a strike could be called, the local 751 district of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is taking steps to ready its more than 24,000 members in the Puget Sound region in the event of a walkout Sept. 4 of the Boeing Co.
Representatives for Boeing and the Machinists union have been meeting regularly over the last few months, trying to iron out a new three-year contract before Labor Day.
Leaders from both sides will hold nearly ‘round-the-clock talks beginning Aug. 22. Boeing’s lead negotiator, Doug Kight, has promised Machinists that the company will provide its final offer before the long Labor Day weekend to provide members sufficient time to review its proposal.
Last week, Boeing spokesman Tim Healy remained optimistic about initial talks. He stressed that Boeing and the Machinists have made “significant progress” at an earlier point in the progress compared with previous years.
The Machinists’ aerospace coordinator, Mark Blondin, didn’t share that spirit.
“The talks aren’t bearing any fruit,” Blondin told investors and media Tuesday.
Boeing and the Machinists still need to come to agreements on key points such as pensions for new employees, wages, incentives and health care plans.
In order to strike, two-thirds of the union’s members will have to vote to reject Boeing’s contract offer. That vote takes place Sept. 3, with the decision announced late that evening. Members would start their strike at 12:01 a.m. Sept. 4.
With only hours between the strike vote and the initial work stoppage, the Machinists simply have to prepare in advance.
In the event of a strike, members will picket about 100 Boeing gates from Frederickson to Everett. And they’ll do it 24 hours a day, every day until the contract has been resolved. With a large member base here, each Machinist generally only puts in a four-hour picket shift once a week, Kelliher said.
“We never close,” she said. “Boeing doesn’t close.”
Even picket duty isn’t as easy as one might think. Machinists can’t park on Boeing property without, in essence, crossing their own picket line. Therefore, the Machinists organize large shuttle vans from union halls to Boeing gates.
The union orders burn barrels for each gate in advance of a strike.
“That’s the only source of light and heat in many cases,” Kelliher said.
Members at each of the union halls — in Everett, Seattle, Renton and Auburn — have taken turns chopping wood for the 100 manned gates.
Then, there’s the matter of signs. The Machinists order signs for picketers in case of a strike. The only step they don’t take in advance is to staple the signs to the handles, which happens in those few hours between a strike vote and the first picket shift.
Most importantly to members, perhaps, the union makes arrangements in advance to help Machinists with financial obligations. The Machinists give members $150 each week in strike pay. But the members have to pick up their checks in person, due to a union provision. That requires scheduling locations and times for check pick-up.
The union also talks with WorkSource and other area employers about arranging temporary work for members who can’t afford to strike. It sets up counselors at the credit union to advise striking members about how to deal with lenders, utility companies and credit card companies during a strike.
Machinists who are on Boeing’s payroll Sept. 1 will remain covered under the company’s health care insurance for the month, Kelliher said. Should a strike last longer, the company would send out information about how to extend coverage. In previous strikes, the Machinists always have asked Boeing to cover any insurance payments incurred by members during the strike as a condition of coming back to work, Kelliher said.
If the union walks out on Boeing, the Machinists will publish additional information in early September and will have information on its Web site: www.iam751.org.
Boeing’s Healy declined to describe the manner in which the company prepares for a union strike.
“We’re focused on reaching an agreement that shares our success with workers,” Healy said.
But, he noted, “It’s prudent for us to prepare for the possibility that the union might strike.”
Visit reporter Michelle Dunlop’s Aerospace blog at heraldnet.com to take part in a reader poll on the possibility of a labor strike this year at Boeing.
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