Boeing Workers Strike over “Garbage Contract”

Early this morning, at 12:01 am, Boeing’s 33,000 machinists in Washington walked off the job. 

Boeing and union leaders reached a tentative agreement last weekend, and they encouraged members to vote yes to avoid a strike. But yesterday evening, after a robust “vote no” campaign, union members voted by an overwhelming majority—96%—to strike instead. 

Outside of Boeing’s Everett factory—which holds the superlative as the largest building on Earth (by volume)—picketers started gathering before midnight. By 11:50 pm, picketers had taken over all four corners at the intersection of Kasch Park Road and Airport Road. By 1 am, more than 100 people covered the area. 

The line was largely made up of workers coming off their shift at 11:59 pm, plus first- and second-shift workers who wanted to be part of the first big show of force. Workers say some managers let them out at 11:15 pm, before the end of their shift, once it was clear the strike was happening. 

The mood on the first night of the strike was boisterous. Half an hour in, they started a burn barrel on the sidewalk, casting the strike in a defiant orange glow. Two corners battled for control of the picket line’s soundtrack, playing classic strike tunes such as Lil John’s “Get Low” and Nickleback’s “Burn it to the Ground.” Several members of the Seattle and Snohomish Democratic Socialists of America chapters showed up with strike-themed snacks; supporters pulled up on a golf cart with a cooler full of beer. Someone set off fireworks (a safe-ish distance away).

Members of IAM 751, the machinists union, say that the overwhelming vote against the tentative agreement last night surprised no one, despite the leadership’s enthusiasm for it. “We all saw it coming,” says Eric, a worker in the 767 program who asked that we not use his last name. “It was a garbage contract.” 

Last night’s picket marked Boeing’s first strike in 16 years. Leading up to the tentative agreement, union members had been regularly marching and blowing air horns on their breaks at Boeing’s Everett and Renton factories. 

In negotiations, the union asked for a 40% salary increase over four years, and the agreement only offered them 25%. Members argued that when they accounted for inflation over the last decade, the 25% actually amounted to a decrease in pay. Under the agreement, they would also lose their annual bonus program. In exchange, the company offered workers an additional $2 per hour toward a retirement program, but it would have equaled less than the bonus they lost. 

Boeing also committed in the agreement to bring production of the next single-aisle passenger jet to the Puget Sound area, but workers said the company will not likely start production within the four years that the contract covers. 

According to Labor Notes, after the union announced the tentative agreement on Sunday, the marches at the facilities grew, with hundreds of workers in front of the Everett facility on their lunch break chanting, “Strike!” That day, the union posted about the proposed contract on Facebook, and it racked up so many negative reactions and comments urging a strike that they took it down. 

The next day, as they watched the reaction unfold, IAM 751 President Jon Holden told the Seattle Times he expected workers to vote down the deal, but he still recommended a yes vote: “The first time the union has done so in 30 years,” according to the Times.

The strike comes at one of the worst PR moments in Boeing’s history, following several crashes and a flyaway cabin panel. On the line, some workers were quick to bring up safety concerns. Mr. Macknipe (who legally doesn’t have a first name) talked about the death toll of the two Boeing 737 Max 8 crashes, which led to criminal fraud charges against Boeing after prosecutors accused the company of deceiving the regulators who approved the airplane and pilot-training requirements for it. The crashes killed 346 people. “Those deaths weigh heavy on me,” Macknipe says, and he hopes management will answer for that. 

Members from SPEEA, the Boeing engineers union, showed up in support, holding signs that read, “SPEEA Stands with IAM.” The union is preparing for the likelihood that Boeing management will ask them to cross the line and do the machinists’ jobs while they’re on strike. (Their union has a no-strike clause in their contract, which means they aren’t protected by the National Labor Relations Board if they strike while under contract and they can’t simply strike in solidarity.) “[They’d be asking] us to scab,” says Michael Berryhill, a SPEEA member who was on the line right after midnight. “It’s important to stand in solidarity right now with the machinists, and obviously not do their position even if their contract has expired.”

In their official statement to members, SPEEA prepared their members for the likelihood that they’ll be asked to scab. “Absolutely do not volunteer to do any work normally done by IAM members,” said John Dimas, SPEEA president. The union made a distinction, though, between being “asked” and being “ordered” to do the machinists’ work. “SPEEA members will have to comply if directly ordered by a Boeing manager to do work normally done by Machinists,” the statement said. But union members are prepared to cite differences in certifications and other safety regulations to avoid crossing the line. 

At the picket line early this morning, strike leaders prepared for the logistics of a long strike. One member wearing an IAM 751 jacket walked from corner to corner, asking picketers for their strike card. All union members are expected to participate in the picket line, and he offered a helpful reminder to get their card stamped, proving they showed up. Energy stayed high through the wee hours of the morning, spreading to another intersection and pulling enthusiastic honks from people who drove by. New picketers were still arriving around 3 am. Tuck in, Boeing. They’re in it for the long haul.