Nearly 3 weeks into strike, resolve remains for Boeing workers

EVERETT — For 24 hours a day, for 19 straight days, Boeing Machinists have picketed outside the aerospace giant’s Everett production facility.

As the strike approaches its three-week mark Friday, workers outside the facility Wednesday said they will remain for as long as it takes until Boeing offers a fair contract to 33,000 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751.

On Friday, union leadership rejected what Boeing called its “best and final” contract offer.

In Everett, Renton and other Boeing locations, the strike continues.

Union members are required to spend four hours a week on picket duty, many spend longer. The workers burn firewood in stoves to keep themselves warm overnight.

Ryan Bergh, who has worked at the Boeing plant for 10 years, brought a stove along with homemade meats and ingredients to cook tacos for striking workers. On another day, he brought his smoker and spent 14 hours cooking for picketers.

Some Machinists bring bullhorns to spread their message, others homemade signs that read “No pension, no planes.”

The company’s pension plan continues to be a major sticking point in contract negotiations.

Many said restoring pensions was their primary demand. In 2014, the union narrowly voted to forego pensions after Boeing floated working on a new version of the 777 out of state.

“We want it back,” said Andrew Darazs, who was on the picket line Wednesday. “I ask all these guys who retire from here, I’m like, would you be able to retire without your pension? Absolutely not.”

Tim Nielsen, another machinist picketing outside the factory Wednesday, has been a Boeing employee for 37 years. The union’s high morale gives him reason for optimism.

“I’ve been on strike lines since 1989 and this has been one of the most fortified, I can’t believe the resilience of the kids,” Nielsen said. “They’re holding out for things like pension and wage increases.”

Trevor Knightley expects a new baby in less than two weeks. Still, he tries to be on the picket line every day, where is one of the most vocal with his bullhorn.

“We really want Boeing to come to the table and take us serious, you know? We enjoy building the airplanes. That’s why we work here and we just want Boeing to finally share some of that love,” Knightley said. “Our people are just tired of being behind the economy. We’ve got people who are living in their cars and taking showers at a gym nearby. This is not OK.”

In a statement Tuesday, the company said, “We remain committed to resetting our relationship with our represented employees and negotiating in good faith, and want to reach an agreement as soon as possible.”

“We remain prepared to go back to the bargaining table at any time,” the statement read.

The last strike by Machinists in 2008 lasted 57 days.

Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.