Boeing’s Contract Offer, Machinists’ Potential Strike

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Boeing’s goals of building 160 aircraft and flying its 787 Dreamliner for the first time before year-end may have hit a snag when the company upset the Machinists union by the way it offered workers an 11-percent raise in base pay. The plane-maker apparently held one-on-one meetings between managers and machinists to lay out its offer, bypassing union leaders and prompting those leaders to file unfair labor charges against the company. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers also rejected Boeing’s offer and may follow up with a strike that could begin as early as Sept. 4, further delaying the long-awaited Dreamliner. As the workers’ contract came to an end, Boeing began posting online its proposal. That “openness” may now lead to a work stoppage that could cost the company an estimated $3 billion per month.

Reports last week had the company and union in familiar negotiation form — the company feels its offer is fair and the union feels the company is not listening and knows what it needs to do to reach an agreement. We’ll see.

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