After the Machinists’ vote

The Machinists’ narrow approval of a revised, eight-year contract extension Friday provokes guilty relief; relief because the Puget Sound region will benefit from thousands of 777X jobs and the multiplier effect of a vital aerospace supply chain; and guilt, because the Boeing Co. was permitted to frame the debate, freighting Machinists with a decision that was wholly Boeing’s.

To paraphrase Tammany Hall politician George Washington Plunkitt, Boeing saw its opportunities, and it took ‘em.

“Tonight, Washington state secured its future as the aerospace capital of the world,” Gov. Jay Inslee said immediately after the vote. Elected officials such as Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson and Snohomish County Executive John Lovick exhausted their political capital with organized labor by urging a “yes” vote. It was a calculated risk that paid off. But exuberance is leavened by the fickle reality of global capital.

As Rep. Rick Larsen noted in a statement: “Now that the state and union have delivered, it is time for Boeing to hold up its end of the bargain. Washington has shown that we stand behind a strong aerospace industry. Boeing should make the same commitment to our state.”

Boeing appears ready to step up, not only landing the 777X and its carbon-fiber wing (a huge, long-term boon) after the vote, but also production through 2024 of the 737 MAX. Nevertheless, Boeing’s “seen its opportunities” approach presages labor skirmishes to come.

There will be battles over the next-generation aircraft to replace the 737 and 757 later in the decade, and the company knows that the tax-break trough is just a special legislative session away.

Machinists were forced to unknot competing emotions: Whether to yield on defined pensions while bracing against headlines such as, “Pension-holders push Machinists to drop pensions;” to be cast arbitrarily as the deciders of the state’s economic future; and to maintain a sense of solidarity after a split between the local district and the international union.

MBAs will revisit this short history for decades to come.These were not industry-in-a-squeeze concessions; Boeing is thriving.

For companies throughout the region, the Machinists’ vote likely signals the death knell for defined pensions.

Machinists make a good living. Against the backdrop of the 777X fight, the long-term battle for worker prosperity may rest with those at the bottom of the ladder. A $15 minimum wage? That’s another fight.

The Machinists spoke Friday, and the Puget Sound region will reap the windfall. Jan. 3 was an historic moment. Let’s learn from it.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial: Using discourse to get to common ground

A Building Bridges panel discussion heard from lawmakers and students on disagreeing agreeably.

The Buzz: Flush with BBB tax breaks? Hit the Trump Store.

The rest of you can grab a spot under the bus the GOP has thrown you and enjoy the ride.

Schwab: Taking pride in our own independence from tyranny

Many of us are Americans by luck of birth here; real pride requires commitment to democratic values.

Comment:A chance to make nation more united for its 250th

Let’s refresh the meaning of the Declaration for all and rededicate ourselves to pursuing it.

Polgreen: Sicker, in debt but free of immigrants at Home Depot

Ignore the cuts to Medicaid and tax cuts for rich; we spending billions on detention centers and ICE.

Comment: Sen. Tillis’ no vote shows he saw what GOP doesn’t

His vote against the BBB, and his decision not to seek reelection, marks another loss for compromise.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Friday, June 27, 2025. The sweeping measure Senate Republican leaders hope to push through has many unpopular elements that they despise. But they face a political reckoning on taxes and the scorn of the president if they fail to pass it. (Kent Nishimura/The New York Times)
Editorial: GOP should heed all-caps message on tax policy bill

Trading cuts to Medicaid and more for tax cuts for the wealthy may have consequences for Republicans.

Alaina Livingston, a 4th grade teacher at Silver Furs Elementary, receives her Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic for Everett School District teachers and staff at Evergreen Middle School on Saturday, March 6, 2021 in Everett, Wa. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: RFK Jr., CDC panel pose threat to vaccine access

Pharmacies following newly changed CDC guidelines may restrict access to vaccines for some patients.

Making adjustments to keep Social Security solvent represents only one of the issues confronting Congress. It could also correct outdated aspects of a program that serves nearly 90 percent of Americans over 65. (Stephen Savage/The New York Times) -- NO SALES; FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY WITH NYT STORY SLUGGED SCI SOCIAL SECURITY BY PAULA SPAN FOR NOV. 26, 2018. ALL OTHER USE PROHIBITED.
Editorial: Congress must act on Social Security’s solvency

That some workers are weighing early retirement and reduced benefits should bother members of Congress.

Comment: ICE agents need to show their badges and their faces

Agents wearing plainclothes and masks recall images of third-world regime’s ‘disappearance’ of dissidents.

Kristof: Bombing Iran may have set up path for negotiation

Regardless of its effectiveness, what now must follow are talks to end Iran’s push for nuclear weapons.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.