NAnother blow for Boeing. Already in difficulty, the American aircraft manufacturer is facing a strike by its machinists at the Seattle region plant in the United States this Friday, September 13. This strike was voted on the previous evening by 96% after the massive rejection of the new collective agreement by 94.6%, said Jon Holden, president of the machinists’ union IAM-District 751. “We will strike at midnight,” he added.
“Our members spoke loud and clear tonight,” said Jon Holden, whose union, which represents about 33,000 workers in the Pacific Northwest, initially supported the deal. The union leader had previously said he could not “guarantee that we will get more by striking.”READ ALSO Boeing 737: the piggy bank plane that became a nightmare for its manufacturer
The strike will shut down two major aircraft assembly plants in the Puget Sound region — a two-thirds vote was needed to initiate a work stoppage as soon as the current 16-year-old contract expires at midnight Thursday. It will cripple production of the 737, 777 and 767 freighter, whose deliveries are already running behind schedule. This is all the more problematic because the planemaker collects the bulk of the payment (about 60%) when the planes are handed over.
Boeing “engaged” in negotiations
Despite the overwhelming vote in favor of strike action, Boeing said in a statement: […] Read more
