Boeing’s striking union said Tuesday that the aerospace giant was “not serious about mediation” after about 33,000 U.S. workers walked out last week over a contract dispute, effectively shutting down two Seattle-area plants.
“We will not mince words — after a full day of mediation, we are disappointed,” said a statement from the International Union of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineers (IAM), after its representatives met with Boeing negotiators.
“The company was unprepared and unwilling to address the issues you have made clear are necessary to end this strike: Wages and Pensions. The company does not appear to take mediation seriously,” the statement said.
He added that mediation between the union and Boeing would continue on Wednesday.
“Today, we are asking Boeing not to miss the opportunity to recognize its workers by presenting a contract that can resolve this labor dispute so we can get back to building and delivering Boeing aircraft,” the union’s statement said.
Boeing and union continue talks as strike empties Seattle factories
Members of IAM District 751 are picketing 24 hours a day after striking early Friday morning, shutting down factories in Renton and Everett that assemble the 737 MAX and 777.
Boeing was optimistic of averting a strike after reaching a tentative deal with IAM leadership on Sept. 8 that included a 25 percent across-the-board wage increase over four years, reduced mandatory overtime and a commitment to build the next new plane in Puget Sound area.
But watchdogs have branded the deal inadequate, dismissing the 25% figure as misleading and insufficient in light of the deal’s removal of an annual bonus for workers.
Workers were also unhappy with other elements of the deal, including its failure to restore pensions. And they said the commitment to build the new plane in Puget Sound needed to be strengthened beyond the four-year life of the contract.
Underneath the furor is more than a decade of virtually stagnant wages at a time when consumer inflation has squeezed budgets.
Source: AFP