Quietly and earnestly, Machinists union members at the Boeing Company went to their union halls recently and picked a new set of leaders. They have soundly rejected the radical politics of division and discord and have opted for leaders who steadfastly refused to campaign on the negative side of politics. This is good news for Machinists union members at Boeing who feared that their union might fall into the hands of a small, self-centered group of radicals who openly proposed confrontation over collective bargaining.
The election campaign was marked by wild, unsubstantiated accusations against elected union leaders and their supporters. Meanwhile the dedicated unionist slate emphasized job security issues as well as the need to maintain solidarity in order to obtain better health and dental care benefits as well as improvements in the retirement system.
As a long-time active Machinists union member and Boeing employee, I am proud to see union democracy at work. The leadership selection process for Machinists District 751 is now virtually complete and the new leaders have a clear mandate from the union membership to represent them in difficult negotiations with the Boeing Company. They deserve the chance to succeed.
Everett
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