Boeing Machinists union agrees to strike

Members of the Boeing Machinists union, totaling nearly 33,000 members across Renton, Auburn, Everett and all other locations, walked off the job at midnight Friday (Sept. 13) after overwhelmingly rejecting the company’s latest contract and authorizing a strike, according to vote totals announced Thursday night.

Members voted to reject the latest contract by 94.6%. The vote to authorize a strike was 96%.

To reject the offer required a majority. Two-thirds of the membership were required to authorize a strike.

This is the eighth strike by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers since the union’s first agreement with Boeing in 1936. The most recent was Sept. 6, 2008, and lasted 57 days — when both sides reached agreement on Nov. 1.

Members of the IAM District 751 held similar voting in other locations in Washington and Oregon.

Sunday’s tentative deal called for a 25% wage increase for 33,000 union members.

The International Association of Machinists had originally been advocating for raises of about 40%, according to Bloomberg. The income increase agreed, as well as improvements to health care costs and retirement benefits, would be applied over four years.

On Wednesday, Boeing released a fact sheet about the proposed deal and a message from new CEO and President Kelly Ortberg.

In what Boeing termed a “historic contract offer,” the company touts a “new Boeing contribution of up to $4,160 per employee per year to the company’s 401(k) plan.

Boeing employee Brent Seman had said Wednesday he hoped union members would send a strong message about their dissatisfaction with the proposed deal.

“I want our union leadership to be embarrassed by how mad we are,” Seman said.

After Machinists Union chief Jon Holden announced the vote at the Seattle headquarters, Seman made good on his promise to look for some horns to honk.

“I feel great,” Seman said Thursday night. “I am very proud of my brothers and sisters in the union.”

Ten hours into the first day of the strike, workers outside of the Renton plant held up signs, played music and cheered when passing vehicles honked their horns in solidarity.

Daniel Dias of Auburn is a functional test technician and has been working at the Renton plant for nearly six years. Dias said that he will strike and picket for as long as it takes for Boeing workers to get their deal while Jordan Meza of Everett said that, at 24 years old, he wants to be able to afford a house.

“I came to Boeing because I wanted to make money out of high school,” said Meza, who is an interior mechanic and has been working at the Renton plant for five years and seven months.

When it came to the 96% vote to strike, Meza said that he was not surprised by the high percentage.

“Everybody was very, very angry last night,” he said.

Krystal Keefe, a Boeing maintenance technician team lead based in Moses Lake, was also not surprised by the vote.

“Managers get bonuses based off the targets that are hit by us,” she said. “People bust their backs for this company. It’s unappreciative, is what it feels like.”

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Everett Herald staff writer Michael Henneke, Renton Reporter writer and photographer Bailey Jo Josie and Bloomberg contributed to this report.

Krystal Keefe strikes outside the Renton Boeing plant. Keefe has worked for Boeing for over six years. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing.

The strike began at midnight Friday, Sept.13, with Renton workers and supporters picketing from the early morning hours and into the afternoon, and some saying they will picket and strike for as long as it takes. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing.

One Boeing worker got creative with their picket sign, painting a scene from an episode of “Spongebob Squarepants.” Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing.