Boeing Workers Strike for Better Wages

Boeing Co.'s International Association of Machinists (IAMAW) has been preparing for a strike for several months. It has been advising its members to save in preparation for a lean period. The union offer to its striking members is said to be $150 per week if the strike goes into its third week. However, workers will lose their health care benefits one month into the strike. After rejecting a final offer contract by Boeing, the members of the largest labor union voted to strike. However, the union decided to postpone the strike for 48 hours to give time for more negotiation which might lead to a consensus between the workers and the plane owner.

After failing to arrive at a compromise, the aviation job workers put down their tools. It is estimated that the strike will cost the company approximately $100 million daily. The official start of the strike for most of the union members was Wednesday September 3, at midnight, when the previous three-year contract between the Boeing Company and the International Association of Machinists and the Aeroplane workers expired. After Boeing failed to improve the terms of the machinist’s union contract, the workers officially voted to strike. In a letter to members of the IAMAW, Tom Wrobrewski, the IAMAW Seattle President, said that the Boeing Company did not address their concerns.

The union is demanding a 13% wage increase for the contract running for three years. However, Boeing could only promise an 11% wage increase and some more incentives that the Boeing Company claimed would have an added value of $34,000 to the annual pay of an average worker, who currently earns around $64,000 annually. Boeing also claimed that what the workers in the company are offered in the contract is the best package ever offered in the aerospace industry. This is according to the vice president and lead negotiator of Boeing, Doug Kight.

This is the fourth time in 20 years that the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers has striked. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Worke rs is a trade union representing 730,000 members across North America. The success of the union depends on the individual contribution of each member. The diversity of the members is reflected in the different departments - aerospace, automotive, communications, communication services and retirees, strategic resources, finance, collective bargaining resources, industries, union networks, people, safety, wood workers, trade and globalization, Crest, safety and health, political and legislation action, legal, organizing, and support staff.

IAMAW is guided by several goals, which include increasing the purchasing power of its workers in order to provide them with higher and improved living standards, ensuring that all workers are paid equally, ensuring that the working place is safe and healthy, and advocating for joint training in apprenticeship and job retraining.

Those working in aviation jobs who are members of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers have several benefits, including representation of their interests, the community, and the legislation halls. Once a member has joined the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, they are no longer alone in facing employers in matters pertaining to the working contract, terms, or anything to do with the working environment. Respect in the job prevails to all members because of the union or collective strength accrued from being a member of the union. In addition, IAMAW’s members have the advantage of higher wages compared to non-union workers in the same job. The company they work for also fully pays for medical benefits and pension.

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Boeing Workers Strike for Better Wages