By Bill Lucia / Washington State Standard
Thousands of Boeing factory workers in the Puget Sound region who’ve been on strike for over a month are expected to vote this week on a new contract proposal, their union said Saturday.
This latest offer improves wages and retirement benefits compared to the proposal that workers voted down in mid-September before going on strike. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said members would vote Wednesday on whether to accept the new proposal.
“The workers will ultimately decide if this specific proposal is sufficient in meeting their very legitimate needs and goal of achieving respect and fairness at Boeing,” IAM District 751 President Jon Holden and IAM District W24 President Brandon Bryant said in a joint statement.
Details of a potential strike settlement, including a date for when union members would return to work if the contract is approved, will be part of the upcoming vote, the union said.
Boeing released a one-page document Saturday morning with highlights of the offer. “We look forward to our employees voting on the negotiated proposal,” the company said in a statement.
Under the new proposal, workers would see a 35% general wage increase spread over four years, with 12% of the boost in the first year. An incentive pay program would be reinstated, with a guaranteed minimum annual payout of 4%, and workers would receive a one-time contract ratification bonus of $7,000.
A prior non-negotiated offer the company released on Sept. 23 proposed a 30% general wage increase over four years. The proposal the workers overwhelmingly rejected in mid-September included a general wage increase of 25% and a $3,000 ratification bonus.
Workers had been pushing for a 40% hike. The union said Saturday that with compounding wage increases over the life of the contract, the rise in pay should meet that demand.
“It should be safe to say that our goal of over 40% wage growth during the life of the agreement has been achieved,” the union said in an announcement about the offer.
On the retirement benefits front, the company is offering to match 100% of the first 8% of pay an employee puts toward their 401(k) account, along with an automatic 4% company contribution. The proposal also includes one-time $5,000 contributions to workers’ 401(k) accounts.
The offer that union members voted down in September featured a 75% match on 401(k) contributions up to 8% of pay, along with the automatic 4% company contribution.
Workers have been seeking reinstatement of a defined-benefit pension plan. But Boeing has been firm in its unwillingness to revive the pension program.
More than 33,000 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in Washington, Oregon and California are taking part in the strike, which reached its 37th day on Saturday.
The work stoppage, which has halted airplane manufacturing at Boeing facilities around the Northwest, comes as the company is dealing with financial pressures and scrutiny of its safety record. Last week, Boeing announced it would cut about 17,000 employees over the coming months.
In recent days, members of Washington’s congressional delegation — including Democratic U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell — urged the company and the union to reach an agreement.
Since the strike began, talks have involved a federal mediator. The union said Saturday that acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su met with union and company officials this week to help move along negotiations.
Washington State Standard is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Washington State Standard maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Bill Lucia for questions: info@washingtonstatestandard.com. Follow Washington State Standard on Facebook and X.
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