Considered “historic” by Boeing and the IAM, a union that represents 33,000 employees of the company in the Puget Sound area, in Washington, the tentative agreement announced on Sunday has been met with negative reactions from members.
On Monday, employees of the manufacturer protested during their lunch break at the Everett plant calling for a strike at the company.
On social media, posts criticized the IAM and its leader Joh Holden, for having accepted the terms offered by Boeing.
Follow Air Data News: WhatsApp | Google News | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Holden himself told The Seattle Times that he believes the proposal will be rejected and there will be enough votes to start a strike at noon on Friday.
New commercial jet to be built in the region
The current labor contract with employees at the historic Renton and Everett plants, as well as other facilities, will end at 11:59 a.m. on September 12.
That same day, members of District 751 (Puget Sound) and W24 (Portland) will vote on whether to accept the tentative agreement announced on Sunday and whether or not to agree to the strike.
The deal reached between Boeing and Machinists union leaders calls for a 25 percent raise over the next four years, which could be higher for some categories, reduced health care costs, a higher retirement contribution, but the end of an annual bonus.
Boeing also said it will produce its new commercial jet, informally known as the ‘797’, in the region, and that it does not intend to share the work with other units such as Charleston, South Carolina.
For the union leader, the proposal is the best possible without a strike, but it may not be enough for many employees, who are suffering from a loss of purchasing power and an uncertain future.
Boeing shares rose
Despite skepticism within the factories, the announcement of the provisional agreement caused Boeing shares to rise more than 3% on Monday, also driven by the safe return of the Starliner capsule to Earth.
Boeing is facing a long and exhausting public scrutiny over production failures and lack of safety on its aircraft, but in addition there is the persistent difficulty in resuming a higher production rate on the assembly lines.
The production delay affects everything from the 737 MAX to the 787 Dreamliner and new planes such as the 777X.
A strike starting Friday could send Boeing’s bonds to junk status, or just above where they are now.
