You got to hand it to Boeing’s Machinists. They won’t let a little rain ruin their rally. And they always come up with catchy slogans.
Despite Sunday’s sloppy conditions, the Machinists made their presence known outside the hotel where leaders for Boeing and the union are negotiating a new three-year contract.
Standing in light rain in the hotel parking lot, Machinists turned up the volume with this number:
“Power. Power. Power to the union.
Power. Power. Getting stronger by the hour.”
They held signs:
“Remember 2005? We do.” “Get it right or fly a Kight.”
“Strike #7 2008 at Boeing.” “Don’t have to deal with tension, increase pension.”
“In the end, Boeing will lose because bad guys never win.”
The gathering drew not only thousands of Machinists but also SPEEA members and a few politicians.
Cynthia Cole, president of the engineers union, pledged support for the Machinists:
“I say Boeing needs to share the success and honor the best workers in the world.”
And Darcy Burner, Democrat for Congress, told the Machinists that they are fighting for middle class America:
“You are on the front line of arguably the most important battle in the United States right now. …when Boeing tells you that they’re profitable but they can’t afford to share, tell them we will stand together.”
The union votes on Sept. 3 on Boeing’s contract offer. If two-thirds of the members vote to strike, the 24,000 union members in the region would walk out at 12:01 a.m. Sept. 4.
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