WE Blog

It’s great that 80 percent of Boeing Machinists union members accepted a new contract, ending a 28-day strike. Strikes can hurt workers, Boeing, other local companies, such as Spirit AeroSystems, and the community. We’re glad it’s over.
One sticking point had been that Boeing wanted a different contract for Wichita workers than for union members in the Pacific Northwest. Local workers condemned that as a “hostile, conquer-and-divide” tactic. But it seemed reasonable to me, given the lower cost of living and wage market here. So I asked Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, why the company dropped that demand. He said it wasn’t worth holding up a contract affecting more than 18,000 union members over an issue affecting only 947 workers in Wichita. Makes sense.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee