MACHINISTS OVERWHELMINGLY PASS STRIKE SANCTION VOTE

Portland, OR – Hundreds of Machinists from IAM District W24 who work at the Boeing Company put down their tools and silenced the factories to come together at Portland Expo Center to cast their vote. The message was clear – Boeing workers deserve better. The vote passed by nearly 99.6%. “The bad decisions made at the executive level of the Boeing Company are short-term decisions with long-term consequences,” said IAM District 751 President and Directing Business Representative Jon Holden. “This lack of vision by company executives puts our members’ livelihoods at risk. Our jobs, our legacy and our reputation are on the line right now. We are fighting to change this company and to save it from itself.” A strike sanction vote does two things for the nearly 33,000 Members covered by the Boeing contract. The initial vote, a Constitutional requirement of the IAM, provides advanced legal notice to the Union so members will receive strike benefits without any undue delay if they vote to strike on September 12th. It also is a momentum builder for Machinists, sending a strong message to the company that collectively, our Members won’t accept anything less than the fair contract they deserve. “We want the company to take our proposals seriously and bargain earnestly. We don’t want to strike – but we’re ready and willing to do so to bring home the best aerospace contract our members have ever seen,” said Holden. “We aren’t just fighting for ourselves; we are fighting for everyone. From our family members to the flying public, we want everyone to be proud of this company once again. We are the watchdog with a unique opportunity to make things better for all.” Wage increases after ten years of stagnant wages, health care plans that allow us to take care of our families, a dignified retirement plan, more say in overtime hours to achieve a better work/life balance – these are just a few of the items IAM District W24 and IAM District 751 are negotiating at the bargaining table at the request of the Membership. But it’s Job Security that could tip the scales for Members when they cast their votes on September 12, 2024. “We need jobs for 50 years, not four years and the only way that’s going to happen is if Boeing makes workers a part of its vision for the future,” said Holden. “We want to help the company fill the factories, but the only way that will happen is by securing the next airplane program here in the Puget Sound and restoring this company to the glory it once had in the eyes of the world. Our Members are the Boeing Company and it’s our fingerprints on every product that leaves the shop floor. There is no Boeing without us, and we have what it takes to build this company back to the level it was.”