Boeing workers vote to strike to “save the company from itself”

Members of Boeing’s largest union have voted to strike if their ongoing collective bargaining negotiations with the aerospace company fail, forcing them to take the company’s demands for higher wages and job security seriously.

More than 30,000 Boeing workers from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) met in Seattle on Wednesday to vote on possible industrial action.

“Thousands of machinists from IAM District 751 who work at Boeing downed their tools and silenced the factories to gather at T-Mobile Park and cast their vote,” the International Association of Machinists said in a statement. “The message was clear – Boeing workers deserve better.”

The vote will force Boeing to “engage in serious negotiations,” said Jon Holden, president of IAM District 751. “Our jobs, our legacy and our reputation are now at stake. We are fighting to change this company and save it from itself.”

The procedural vote, which the IAM said was passed “by a majority of almost 99.9%,” will give the union advance notice of its members’ intention to strike and ensure that they can receive strike pay immediately in the event of industrial action.

The strike will not be voted on until September 12, when the ongoing negotiations between the IAM and Boeing are concluded.

However, the union said the vote served as a “momentum marker” and sent a strong message to Boeing that “members will accept nothing less than the fair contract they deserve.”

“We don’t want to go on strike – but we are ready and willing to do so to deliver the best aerospace contract our members have ever seen,” Holden said. “From our family members to the flying public, we want everyone to be proud of this company again. We are the watchdog with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make things better for everyone.”

Negotiations between Boeing and its employees began in March and are expected to conclude in September when the current ten-year contract expires.

The IAM is calling for a 40 percent pay increase over the next three to four years to reverse “ten years of stagnant wages.” It is also demanding improved health insurance, a “decent” pension plan and more say in overtime allocation.

However, the IAM said job security “could be the deciding factor” if members vote to strike on September 12.

Holden had previously told Newsweek that the IAM is calling for Boeing’s next aircraft program to be located in the Puget Sound region of Washington state.

This, Holden said, would ensure work for IAM members “for the next 50 years.”

“Our members are the Boeing Company and our fingerprints are on every product that leaves the factory floor,” Holden said after Wednesday’s vote. “Without us, Boeing would not exist and we have what it takes to bring this company back to the level it once was.”

Boeing had previously told Newsweek that it was “confident” that the company could reach an agreement “that addresses the needs of our employees while allowing us to compete for new business in a very competitive global market.”

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