'No end in sight': Striking union says 1st round of mediation with Boeing didn't get far
It's been a week since 96% of Boeing machinists union members voted to initiate a strike in an attempt to get better wages and benefits from the company.
IAM District 751 members remained on the picket lines outside Boeing's facilities across the Puget Sound region Thursday as there is no estimate on when the strike may come to an end.
"The union has been telling us to prepare for a while in case it got to this point," IAM 751 member Cory Hall told KOMO News at a picket line in Renton outside the 737 production facility. "With health insurance, our wages - we didn't feel like it was a fair contract. The numbers showed we were really serious about what we want and what we deserve."
Striking workers are going without pay as union leadership pushes for a better contract.
In an interview with KOMO News on Thursday, president Jon Holden said the first round of mediation wasn't promising.
"We had two days of mediated talks, and there were no fruitful discussions during those talks," he said. "We're always pushed to the brink to take the ultimate sacrifice, in this case, to withhold our labor. It's our right under federal law."
IAM 751 has set up 'strike headquarters' in Everett, Seattle, Renton, Auburn, Frederickson, and Moses Lake.
"It's a little chaotic at the beginning of a strike. It takes a little bit to get our feet under us," Holden said. "Our members are on the right side of this, they are fighting for reasonable things."
for thousands of workers across the company as a result of the strike.
"With production paused across many key programs in the Pacific Northwest, our business faces substantial challenges and it is important that we take difficult steps to preserve cash and ensure that Boeing is able to successfully recover,"
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services (FMCS) are handling the negotiations between Boeing and the union, though IAM 751 leaders have said they are willing to meet with the company directly to discuss a resolution.
, IAM 751 negotiators said there are no dates scheduled for additional mediation.
"No end in sight - one day longer, one day stronger for our members," Holden told KOMO News. "We're standing on principle. We're trying to address very specific things we think need to be addressed. Over the last ten years, our member's wages have stagnated, there's a massive cost shift of healthcare onto our members, and we lost our defined benefit pension plan. Those are major issues for our members to address."
On the picket line, workers indicated they were prepared to hold out for a better contract.
"I think we're going to stand strong," Boeing employee Bridget Baker said. "I love working for the company, and the 96% vote shows that people are super committed to making improvements."
